Military v Cancer charity event raises £28,000 for Macmillan and Cancer Research

Service and former Royal Navy personnel who lost a close colleague to cancer have raised £28,000 for two charities.

The Military v Cancer group held a black tie event at Slaley Hall, in Northumberland, with proceeds going to Macmillan Cancer Support and Cancer Research UK.

The event, which attracted more than 200 people, was the latest in a series organised by the group and featured raffle prizes that included a personally gifted, limited-edition watch by Iron Maiden rock star Bruce Dickinson.

It also attracted people from Newcastle United and Sunderland AFC.

Military v Cancer is comprised of David and Shelley Bathgate [pictured below], from Nottingham, who have lost five members from across both sides of their family to cancer; Andrew Gibney, brother of deceased colleague Sean Gibney; Peter Moody, who is at the helm of Gateshead-based waste management company Gap Group (NE) Limited, and Matt Munday.

Peter said: “It’s been a real honour to help the Military v Cancer fundraising effort and we are planning another event next year at Slaley Hall.”

David added: “We are a close group forged through shared service in the Royal Navy and it hit us all hard when Sean died.

 

 

“We wanted to do something for his wife and daughter, so we held an event which was a success and wanted to build some momentum.

“Shelley and I went through an awful period where between us we lost five members of our family to cancer in two years including my brother John; it was a truly terrible time.

“Sean and my brother and the other family members all died from bowel cancer, which is why Shelley and I are so passionate about raising awareness and sending the message that it is so important that symptoms that are persistent and unusual are acted upon.”

Following the continued success of the Military v Cancer group, it is now going through the process of becoming a charity.

Jill Campbell, Macmillan Cancer Support area fundraising manager for the North East, said: “We are absolutely delighted to receive this kind of donation and we are so grateful.

“It is no secret that Macmillan and the charity sector in general has seen fundraising revenues slashed over the last 18 months.”

Sam Moralee, Cancer Research UK relationship manager for the North East and Cumbria, added: “We are blown away by the support and really can’t thank everyone enough for organising this amazing event, despite the ongoing challenges of the pandemic.

“COVID-19 has slowed us down but the fight against cancer never stops and our scientists in Newcastle are working harder than ever to bring forward the day when all cancers are cured.

“We look forward to working with Military vs Cancer as they go from strength-to-strength.”