When it comes to going miles out of her way to help charity Rosemere Cancer Foundation, teacher Vicki Bloomer is top of the class!
Vicki, who hails from Barrow but now lives in Leeds, not only spent 10.5 hours walking from Keswick to Barrow in this year’s K2B challenge in May, she also rallied a 58-strong team of fellow walkers from across the country, who travelled up to Cumbria to join her in either the K2B or C2B (Coniston to Barrow) trek as part of a Rosemere Cancer Foundation team.
A support team of 12 volunteers made up of Vicki’s friends and family made sure everyone was looked after en route. Vicki said “The support team are our absolute heroes on the day. They are always there with a smile on their face making sure we have everything we need and giving us encouragement when we need it most”.
This was her second year of pulling a Rosemere Cancer Foundation team together and now, she’s planning to repeat the whole process again for next year’s event.
Vicki said: “My inspiration is my mum Linda Johnson, who with my dad Ken and sister Rachael still live in Barrow. My mum underwent treatment for breast cancer at Rosemere Cancer Centre in Preston in 2017. She and dad stayed on site for three weeks at Bowland House, which Rosemere Cancer Foundation has supported. It provides free accommodation for patients, who would otherwise have to make long repeat journeys to receive their treatment.
“Organising the walk teams this year and last and taking part was our way of giving something back. It is a huge team effort from start to finish and it would not be possible without everyone involved.”
Through sponsorship and donations this year and last, Vicki and her team of family and friends, alongside many passionate supporters, most of whom have personally experienced the work of Rosemere Cancer Centre, have now raised more than £12,000 for Rosemere Cancer Foundation with some walkers raising thousands of pounds each.
Vicki added: “This year, a lot of family members took part in memory of my uncle Michael Elliott who sadly died earlier in 2019. He had also received treatment at Rosemere Cancer Centre and so the walk had a very special place in our hearts.
“We had great success in the K2B with one of our runners, Jordan Phillipson, coming ninth and our youngest member of the team, 14-year-old Jodie Parkinson, completing her first K2B in a gruelling 14 hours! We will be organising a Rosemere Cancer Foundation K2B and C2B team again in 2020 so if anyone would like to join us, please contact me.”
Next year’s K2B (40 miles) and C2B (21.1 miles) take place on Saturday, 2nd May. To contact Vicki, email her at vickibloomer@hotmail.co.uk
Rosemere Cancer Foundation works to bring world class cancer treatments and services to cancer patients from throughout South Cumbria and Lancashire being treated at Rosemere Cancer Centre, the region’s specialist cancer treatment centre at the Royal Preston Hospital, and at another eight local hospital cancer units across the two counties, including those at Furness and Westmorland General Hospitals.
Besides Bowland House, the charity funds cutting edge equipment, research, training and other cancer services and therapies that the NHS is unable to afford. For further information on its work, including how to make a donation, visit www.rosemere.org.uk
