Guernsey Marathon Club was not all about completing the distance but also about raising money and awareness for the three local charities listed below. At present the final figure towards the three charities has not yet been publicised as sponsorship is still coming in from both individual and relay entries. The Marathon Club of Guernsey will provide this figure, as soon as it is known.
HOPE FOR GUERNSEY
Hope for Guernsey’s Cancer Research project was set up in 2008 at Southampton Hospitals and University Medical School. Due to the generosity of residents of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, an initial £130,000 was raised to support an innovative breast cancer research project.
The money initially funded a pilot study to explore whether a blood test might provide an earlier and/or more reliable diagnosis of cancer. With the support of Guy’s Hospital and the Imperial Cancer Research Fund ( now Cancer Research UK ), the blood samples used for this had been collected by Guernsey’s Breast Cancer Screening Service over a period of 40 years. The initial funds for Hope for Guernsey have covered the main costs for the next two years, enabling new projects to be taken on by this innovative charitable organisation. The focus has now extended to exploring a blood test for prostrate cancer which is the major cause of death in men, and for which, there is no really reliable diagnostic blood test.
Hope for Guernsey is committed to research and development and to punching the ceiling of conventional wisdom to identify ways in which potentially fatal cancers can be detected and treated earlier.
MINES AWARENESS TRUST
The Mines Awareness Trust is an NGO that was set up in Guernsey in May 1999 in reaction to the Kosovo conflict.
MAT offers integrated Mine Action solutions in post conflict scenarios ; capacity building, development mainstreaming, sustainability and cost effectiveness. MAT’s experience covers all areas of Mine Action, but particularly Battle Area Clearance, Technical Survey, Landmine Clearance, Explosive Ordnance Disposal, Mine Risk Education and Mine Detection Dogs.
The MAT is provider of integrated Mine Action solutions that enable Governments, non-governmental and international organisations and commercial customers to ensure projects are delivered in an efficient and timely manner whilst still ensuring the highest ethical standards and principles are maintained.
The MAT operates with principal offices in Guernsey, London, Kosovo, Kenya and Rwanda.
HEADWAY GUERNSEY
provides information, support and services to adults with a brain injury, and their families.
A brain injury can happen to anyone, at any age, at any time. One cause of brain injury is a blow to the head in an accident or an assault. It could be a car or bike accident, or a sports injury, or something as simple as slipping over. Or you could have a stroke, even at a young age, where a blood vessel in the brain gets blocked, or bursts (haemorrhage/aneurysm). Or a brain tumour. Your brain controls everything about you – your movement, your thinking, your planning, your personality, your memories, your feelings. It’s who you are.
Nearly 1000 people go to A&E in Guernsey each year with a head injury. 80–90 people of working age are admitted. 5 have serious injuries and are flown to Southampton for neurosurgery. Another 14 islanders of working age have a stroke each year.
After eventually leaving hospital, Guernsey brain injury survivors and their families talk of feeling ‘lost and alone’ as they tried to rebuild a life that was shattered in a split second. All wish that they could have had someone to talk to who knew what they were going through.
Most people make a good recovery but some are left with long-term effects that are seriously debilitating but not always obvious to other people. Like a changed personality, epilepsy, difficulty concentrating, sleep problems, or serious memory loss.
Headway Guernsey runs a helpline offering information and advice, and provides the opportunity to talk to others who have been through similar experiences. There is also a regular programme of social events and information evenings, plus a family group that meets monthly.
In addition, Headway has created ‘Headway House’. Every Friday morning, a group of people with a brain injury meets at St Martin’s Community Centre to regain their confidence, learn new skills and support each other. All in an environment where the effects of brain injury are completely understood. Most recently, Headway opened a second Wednesday morning session, where a neurotherapist helps members improve hands and arm function with the dynamic Saeboflex.
Headway Guernsey is an independent Guernsey charity, affiliated to Headway UK All monies raised stay in the Bailiwick. www.thisisguernsey.com/headwayguernsey.
CHARITIES
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