PRESS RELEASE - Walk the Walk makes emergency grant to Fighting All Cancers Together (FACT)

“FACT is delighted to be receiving a £20,000 grant from Walk the Walk to help us provide support to some of the most vulnerable people in the North East due to a diagnosis of cancer. Our service users, or FACT Family as we like to call them, are isolated and scared, and the current pandemic is making dealing with the impacts of cancer even more difficult than it would be in normal circumstances. Our fundraising has all but stopped and grants like this are literally a lifeline to us...... which makes them a lifeline for those we look after”.
Joanne Smith, Founder and Chief Executive of FACT

This statement from the Founder and Chief Executive of a small charity in North East England sums up the struggle that almost all charities throughout the U.K. are facing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. With little or no income and their workload increasing, the effect is devastating, not only for the charities, but also causing unimaginable suffering and hardship for cancer patients.

The emergency grant that Walk the Walk has now given will allow FACT to continue offering crucial support services to vulnerable people affected by cancer. These include telephone counselling sessions, helpline and befriending calls, home visits with food donations and bereavement support.

At the end of June breast cancer charity Walk the Walk announced that it would be stepping in with emergency grants, to support frontline UK cancer charities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The charity’s Founder and Chief Executive Nina Barough was so concerned about the effect on the lives of cancer patients during the past three months, she felt Walk the Walk really had to do something to try and help.

Nina Barough CBE, Walk the Walk’s Founder and Chief Executive said: “I have been overwhelmed by the number of cancer charities who have contacted Walk the Walk regarding the emergency grants, I just wish we were able to help everyone. We really feel that by giving the first of these grants to FACT that it will enable them to continue to make a difference in a part of the country that really needs support during these next few difficult months. Anyone who has come into contact with Joanne from FACT cannot fail to be inspired by her incredible enthusiasm and commitment to helping people living with cancer”.

FACT need money, but would also love to receive donations of food and cleaning products, to pass on to cancer patients within the community. Contact FACT on 0191 442 0833 or [email protected] 

Download images of FACT’s services HERE

For more information about Walk the Walk, contact:
• Jen Broh at Walk the Walk: 07974 107999 [email protected]
• For more details about applying for a grant, email [email protected]

Walk the Walk’s Emergency Grants
•Grants are being given to the value of £20,000 each month to frontline cancer charities, until the end of the year
• The grants will only be made to organisations which are involved in delivering services and support directly to cancer patients
• Even a few thousand pounds could make a huge difference in keeping services running at this time.
• The funds may be granted to one charity, or to several each month, depending on what is required
• The grant has to be used within 3 months of being made

FACT (Fighting All Cancers Together)
• FACT (Fighting All Cancers Together) is a charity based in the North East offering help and support to people and families affected by cancer
• All services are provided free of charge
• No formal/clinical referral is needed to access services provided
• FACT delivers over 14,000 support sessions every year
• Services are developed and delivered based on demand therefore meeting the real needs of real people
• For more information contact 0191 442 0833 or email [email protected]

Breast cancer charity Walk the Walk
• Walk the Walk’s own fundraising has been massively affected by the pandemic, with the postponement of its flagship MoonWalk events, when millions of pounds would be raised in one night
• Walk the Walk’s supporters have continued to fundraise through the 2.6 challenge and the charity’s own virtual “MoonWalk Celebration Road Trip”, raising almost £100,000.
• Walk the Walk specialises in fitness and Power Walking challenges
• ‘The MoonWalk’ is the flagship event of the charity currently held in London, Scotland and Iceland, with women and men taking on their overnight walking challenges wearing brightly decorated bras.
• Walk the Walk has raised more than £133 million since 1996
• As a grant-making charity, all funds are raised for Walk the Walk
• This money is then granted where the charity feels it will do the most good
• Funds are granted to research projects which are important to all our future health.
• Money is also given to a variety of projects supporting people across the UK living with cancer now
• HRH The Prince of Wales is the official Patron of Walk the Walk
• Due to the coronavirus, Walk the Walk have sadly postponed some of their events including The MoonWalk London, The MoonWalk Scotland and The MoonWalk Iceland. Visit www.walkthewalk.org for updates and to find out more about the charity