WITH only a week to go before the Reindeer Race, Great Western Hospital is urging people to sign up and look silly for a good cause, like I have.

More than 70 people have already signed up to strap on their antlers and take part in the race, on December 7, to raise money for a pioneering new breast cancer radiotherapy treatment.

Since March this year the GWH NHS Foundation Trust’s charitable arm, Brighter Futures – which raises money to fund new treatments not usually available on the NHS budget – has been trying to raise £75,000 to pay for a year’s worth of intra-operative radiotherapy treatment.

Unlike traditional radiotherapy, which has seen countless patients over the years make thankless journeys to hospitals in Bath and Oxford for a 10-minute appointment, intra-operative radiotherapy treatment zaps the affected area in the breast while the patient is still in the operating theatre.

Next week’s race will be one of the charity’s last events to raise all the necessary funds by the end of the year.

Lesley Bayliss, event and community fundraiser at the GWH, said: “We’re now at the final push to raise the £75,000 we need for the treatment by the end of the year, which will make a huge difference to breast cancer patients needing radiotherapy.

“It will mean they don’t have to make the long journeys to other hospitals and will hopefully reduce overall recovery times too.

“Since it’s one of the last events we will run for this appeal this year we wanted to do something a bit different and so we thought we’d put on a Reindeer Run from Coate Water to the hospital.

“It’s the first fun run that we’ve held for any appeal and we just thought it would be something a bit different and a bit fun to raise money.

“There also isn’t any fun run that ends up at the hospital so we thought that would be a nice thing to do.

“There are always Santa runs at around this time of year and we wanted to do our own version. It’s also always nice to end the year with something a bit fun.”

Those taking part can gallop, prance, skip or even simply run and walk around the three-mile course to the hospital after a 10am start at Coate Water.

Entrants will get a free pair of antlers and will be challenged to chase the carrot – reporter-turned-fitness-fanatic Liz Mackley – to the finish line to raise money for the appeal.

Lesley said: “We have a very lovely carrot who will be running at the front of the herd of reindeer and everyone who signs up will get their own pair of antlers to wear.

“Everyone who finishes will receive an ‘I Chased The Carrot’ certificate and there will also be hot drinks and pastries at the end.”

Entry to the Reindeer Run costs £5 and you can sign up by visiting www.gwh.nhs.uk/support-us/ fundraising-events/reindeer-run.

To suggest your own fundraising ideas or get involved with existing events, email fundraising@gwh.nhs.uk or call 01793 605631.

To donate to the Brighter Futures’ Breast Cancer Appeal, visit justgiving.com/brighter futures3