Cancer Research UK unveils Race for Life at Home after Glasgow events postponed.
A “wonder dog” who can do press-ups, high fives and burpees has been chosen to launch a new fitness challenge to raise vital funds for Cancer Research UK.
Islay, a two-year-old golden retriever from Glasgow, stars in a video for the charity encouraging Scots to take on fundraising challenges at home during the lockdown.
The Race for Life at Home challenge comes after the city’s annual Race for Life 5K and 10K events were postponed as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.
Cancer Research UK now hopes Scots will take up the call to support the charity’s work by undertaking challenges in their homes and gardens.
Lisa Adams, Cancer Research UK spokeswoman in Scotland, said: “At a time when it feels like everything is at a standstill, there is one thing that hasn’t stopped: cancer.
“Our priority as a charity is ensuring that people affected by cancer are getting the support they need right now. But we are already getting people asking about doing Race for Life at Home because they don’t want to see the charity lose out on vital funding. It’s truly humbling to see the response.
“So, from their homes, we’d love for supporters to join us and Race for Life at Home in these challenging times. From a run or 5K walk around the garden to limbo in the living room, there is no wrong way to Race for Life at Home. With no entry fee, people might choose to twerk, limbo, star jump, squat, skip, dance, or come up with their own novel way of taking part and share it with friends. The message is very much that ‘while we might be apart, we’re doing this together’. There is no wrong way to get involved and join our community.”
Islay’s owner, Greg Wilkie, said: “Islay loves learning tricks and we had a lot of fun making a video at home to show off what she’s learnt so far.
“The secret to success I think is patience and plenty of treats to reward the dog when they do the right thing. We’re all going to be spending a lot of time indoors this spring so it feels good to keep fit and plan something positive to help people who are going through cancer right now.
“Cancer will affect one in two people in the UK at some point in their lives and it’s a disease which touches so many families.”
For more information on how to take part in the challenge, visit Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life website.
