Three Amigos Fundraising Group awarded Cancer Research Flame of Hope Award

Kath and Andy O'Donnell, of The Three Amigos Fundraising Group, have been awarded a Cancer Research Flame of Hope

The Three Amigos Fundraising Group have been awarded with a Cancer Research UK Flame of Hope Award for their committed work to raising funds towards fighting cancer.

Over the last 11 years, Kath and Andy O’Donnell, from Littleborough, have raised an incredible £88,181 for the charity.

Together with their Yorkshire Terrier, Oscar, they make up The Three Amigos Fundraising Group, who began raising funds for cancer research after Andy was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2004. Following his successful treatment, they held a charity golf day in June 2006. The trailblazer event day would be the first ‘Tee Off Trophy’, and raised over £2,000.

Kath, who was awarded the title of Rochdale’s Woman of the Year 2017 in April, said: “We are very honoured and privileged to have received this award. Thanks to all our supporters over the last 11 years.”

The Three Amigos went on to create annual fundraising events centred around the O’Donnell’s hobbies, including: Midgely Moor Fell Race; the ‘Doggy Dash For Life’ around Hollingworth Lake; ‘Hack Off Cancer’ horse ride; ‘Neigh to Cancer’ dressage event and the ‘Tee Off Trophy’ golf day.

Last year in October, Kath painted Littleborough pink for Cancer Awareness Month - and ‘Little Pink Borough’ was born. Shops and businesses across Littleborough took part, dressing their window displays pink and decorating the streets with pink bunting.

The Three Amigos are inviting all shops, businesses, schools and households to dress their window in pink throughout October again this year to show that Littleborough is united and standing up against cancer.

The first Flame of Hope Awards ceremony took place in 2003, and have been presented annually to thank and recognise committed individuals like Kath and Andy, who give so much of their time and energy to help beat cancer sooner. Over 900 Flame of Hope Awards have been awarded so far.

Cancer Research UK supports more than 250 clinical trials across the UK to help improve treatment and make them available to patients. They say the risk of being diagnosed with some form of cancer, for those born after 1960, is one in every two people. However, thanks to treatments now available, half of all patients will survive the disease.

Cancer Research UK was formed in 2002, following the merger of The Cancer Research Campaign and the Imperial Cancer Research Fund, first established back in 1902. Now the biggest single independent funder of cancer research in Europe, they support the work of more than 4,000 scientists, doctors and nurses across the UK.