Vision Express team focus on Race for Life

Lisa Yaw, Katie Lockett, Linda Nuttall and Janet Crabtree

A team from Vision Express in Rochdale are focusing on raising hundreds of pounds to help beat cancer which has affected loved ones in their lives by competing in the Race for Life to be held in Heaton Park on Sunday 13 July.

The team from Vision Express store, led by store director Katie Lockett, includes store director and optician Linda Nuttall, lab manager Lisa Yaw, and optical assistants Jenny Clarke and Janet Crabtree.

Also in the line-up will be Jenny’s daughter Vanessa Attenborough and Janet’s mum Jean Ramsbottom.

What they all have in common is that cancer has affected someone close to them, according to 43-year-old Katie. She said: “Each of us has friends or family members who have had cancer and we wanted to do something as a group to support Cancer Research UK which does such a marvellous job in looking for ways to beat the disease.

“My own step-mother died from cancer only last year when she was in her late sixties and I will be thinking of her as I do the Race for Life at Heaton Park. I know it will be the same with the other members of the group.”

Katie added: “All the girls are looking forward very much to taking part in Race for Life mainly because we know the organisers like to make it a fun day out for all the family, with a DJ doing the music and a big warm-up exercise session for everyone before it starts.

“There will be hundreds of people taking part, so it should be a really great atmosphere on the day.

“Most of our team say they’ll be walking round the course rather than running but we’ll have to see about that. I think maybe we should try to get a bit of training in beforehand but we should be alright because there’s still quite a bit of time before 13 July.

“We haven’t set a target for how much we want to raise but we know we can look forward to being sponsored by our family and friends which should hopefully mean we end up with a few hundred pounds.

Race for Life first-timer Janet Crabtree, 46, said: “I think everyone these days knows of someone whose lives have been touched by cancer.

“I won’t be doing the race for anyone in particular but for everyone with the disease. I’m also doing it because Cancer Research UK is such a good cause.

“Although I’ve not been in a sponsored run before my husband Justin and I did a 26-mile walk around Bamburgh Castle and Lindisfarne in Northumberland last year and managed to raise about £500 for Alzheimer’s Society.

“Compared to that 5k around Heaton park should be literally a walk in the park and I am looking forward to it very much.”