Colleges Come Together for Cancer Research UK Race for Life

Riverside College and Cronton Sixth Form came together for the third year running to raise money for Cancer Research UK with a spectacular Race for Life event at Victoria Park in Widnes.

Hundreds of students and staff members took part in the event which was organised by college staff members Helen Maddison and Paula Mitchell and was sponsored by Young Addaction Halton. It was the third college Race for Life after two hugely successful events previously.

Prior to the race the participants wrote down the reasons why they are taking part, with reasons such as losing a loved one to cancer or personal battles with the condition. These were proudly displayed by the runners during the race and are now displayed on a wall in the college foyer.

Councillor Eddie Jones of Halton Borough Council, Widnes Vikings player Chris Houston, Assistant Coach Mick Cassidy and Head of Strength and Conditioning Tim Holmes signalled the start of the Race for Life.

After five kilometres around Victoria Park, the race was won for the second year in a row by Cronton student Nathan Jones, a former pupil at Ormiston Bolingbroke Academy who now studies Sport and Uniformed Services at the college. Kathryn Schofield, a former pupil at St Chad’s Catholic and Church of England High School and now studying Animal Management at Cronton, soon crossed the finish line as the fastest female runner.

Following the race, each participant headed to Riverside College’s Centre Stage Theatre for a celebration of their achievement. Widnes Vikings players Chris Dean, Gil Dudson and Stefan Marsh, Widnes Vikings Health and Physical Activity Co-Ordinator Becky Chambers and Everton FC legend Graham Stuart were special guests on the day to present the runners with medals.

A BBQ then took place to cap off the celebrations, which included food generously donated by Cronton Lane Bakery and bottled water which was donated by the Morrisons Widnes store.

Event organiser Helen Maddison said, “For the third year running our Race for Life has been a huge success; it was incredible to see so many people taking part in this special event and we have raised a fantastic amount of money for Cancer Research UK so far with lots of donations still coming in.

“I would like to say a big thank you to everybody who took part and made donations, to Morrisons and Cronton Lane Bakery for their donations and also to our special guests who presented the medals; everybody was very excited to meet them. Preparation is already underway for next year’s event which will be even bigger!”

If you would like to make a donation to the college JustGiving page for Cancer Research UK, visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/riverside-cronton-race4life-2018