The Lancaster University Medical Society (MedSoc) has successfully raised £240 for Cancer Research UK from its fundraising drive in Week Five.
On Thursday and Friday before Valentine’s Day, the society set up a stall selling roses in Alexandra Square, selling 70 in total.
MedSoc’s Charity Officer, Jemma Mistry, told SCAN that “we chose Cancer Research UK as our main charity to support this year because as the adverts say, everyone knows someone who is affected by cancer.
“It has become quite pertinent this year because as part of the medical course, we are permitted to meet real patients in the hospital wards, some of whom are young. They have wonderful stories to tell but, due to illnesses like cancer, will most probably not leave hospital for quite a while, or may eventually pass on,” she added.
Apart for raising funds for Cancer Research UK, the charity drive was also aimed at promoting cancer awareness amongst students.
“We were particularly interested in raising awareness of breast and testicular cancer, mainly because they are quite common and are treatable if detected early,” said Mistry, who is a second year medicine student.
“Cancer Research UK informed me that skin cancer is on the rise and I thought this was quite pertinent to students.”
Several years ago, the society ran a campaign called ‘Boobs and Balls’ to encourage self-examination among young people. Mistry confirmed that MedSoc is planning to continue this campaign later in the academic year.
“We would encourage students to take part in our awareness campaign too because part of disease prevention and cure is education,” said Mistry.
“There is no reason why students and young people should ignore the fact that their body is constantly changing, which is why early detection through education can lead to successful treatment and prevention,” she added.
MedSoc regularly organises academic talks throughout the term and in the past has supported various charitable organisations including Make A Wish Foundation, Medicins Sans Frontieres, and Down’s Syndrome Association.
Cancer Research UK is one of the world’s leading cancer charities that carries out research in cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment. The London-based charity is funded entirely by public donations, legacies, community fundraising, events and corporate partnerships. Apart from research, it is also involved in promoting cancer awareness as well as influencing public policies in the UK.
Meanwhile, a group of postgraduate students from Lancaster University Management School is organising a seven-a-side football tournament and a fundraising dance party all in aid of Save the Children.
The tournament will take place on 6 March at the on-campus Astroturf pitches. The dance party is to be held the same evening at County Bar.
The event has been organised by seven postgraduate students in Project Management and Environmental Management, as part of their academic requirement.
Sarith Sasidharan, a Masters’ student in Project Management, told SCAN: “We, as a team, prefer a charity that works for children. We researched different charities and finally chose Save the Children because they are also providing aid for the Haiti earthquake victims.
“We hope to raise at least £250 for the charity and absolutely anyone can participate,” he added.
There will be 10 teams of seven players for the Footloose football tournament. In addition, the organisers will be selling raffle tickets in the days leading up to the main event. Each raffle ticket costs 50p and there are prizes worth £30 to be won.
The tournament’s award ceremony and the raffle draw will be held during the dance party in County JCR.
“Everyone should participate because every single penny that we raise from the event will go to a cause that helps those who are not as lucky as we are. Besides, they can have fun playing the most loved game in the world, in a simpler format,” said Sasidharan.
Save the Children is an international charitable organisation providing aid to children around the world. The charity has offices in more than 28 countries with headquarters in London.
Apart from advocating children’s rights, Save the Children is known for its involvement for its emergency-relief efforts in natural and manmade disasters such as the recent catastrophic earthquake in Haiti which killed more than 230,000 people earlier this year.
To take part in the football tournament email Sarith Sasidharan at [email]s.sasidharan@lancaster.ac.uk[/email].
