Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. I'm running the Virgin London Marathon 2010 in aid of Breakthrough Breast Cancer, which is a charity close to my heart, as both my Grandmother & Aunt Ellen have been diagnosed with breast cancer. Thankfully my Grandmother has since made a full recovery, however my Aunt is still fighting this disease. 

Breakthrough Breast Cancer is a pioneering charity dedicated to the prevention, treatment and ultimate eradication of breast cancer. They believe passionately that this disease can be beaten. By fighting on three fronts – research, campaigning and education – they are determined to change lives by removing the fear of breast cancer for good.

Did you know?

Nearly 46,000 women and 300 men diagnosed with breast cancer each year in the UK.

1 in 9 women in the UK will develop breast cancer at some point in their lifetime.

Nearly 1,000 women die of breast cancer every month in the UK, but more women than ever in the UK are surviving thanks to better awareness, better screening and better treatments.

Here are a few of the ways your money will be helping women with breast cancer.

£5 could buy 100 microscope slides needed to look at cells in great detail under a microscope– enabling scientists to better understand breast cancer and develop new treatments.

£10 could buy storage containers for the blood samples used in the ‘Breakthrough Generations Study’ so that they can be kept safely for 40 years or more. These samples will help scientists discover the causes of breast cancer.

£20 buys 2 specialised gels that are needed to examine proteins during experiments, yielding insights into the causes of breast cancer.

£125 buys a pipette for measuring liquid ingredients, meaning scientists can conduct each experiment into breast cancer and its treatment with great precision.

So based on what you a have just read, please donate what you can afford through my JustGiving page, which is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Running a marathon is nothing compared to the battles that families are facing every day with this terrible disease and so I feel it's the least I can do to help raise awareness and gain support.

Your support is so important to me, so please dig deep and donate now.

Many thanks, 

Darren Wood