ENTRIES are open for one of Swindon‘s biggest annual fundraising spectaculars.

Every year the Race For Life raises a small fortune for cancer charities as thousands of women flock to Swindon to take part in the do-what-you-can challenge.

Last year’s race raised more than £268,000 for Cancer Research UK as almost 4,500 women completed the Lydiard Park course.

This year’s Swindon Race for Life events take place on Saturday, July 11 and Sunday, July 12, at 11am, again at Lydiard Park.

In 2009, organisers are encouraging 4750 women to put their best feet forward and raise £270,000.

Natasha Russell, Race for Life area event manager for Swindon, said: “We hope that everyone will accept our invitation to do something amazing by taking part in Race for Life.

“Women of all ages, abilities, shapes and sizes join in. They motivate and inspire each other to complete the 5k course.

“Many simply walk round, chatting and having fun but they all share the wonderful spirit of sisterhood and pride on the day.”

In Swindon, patients with a type of blood cancer called mantle cell lymphoma are being recruited for a national clinical trial. The researchers are investigating whether adding a new drug, rituximab, to the standard chemotherapy treatment will help to improve survival.

Natasha Russell continued: “The number of people surviving cancer is increasing.

“In the 1960s, less than three out of ten children diagnosed with cancer were successfully treated.

“Now, it’s seven out of ten.

“Today, more than 95 per cent of men diagnosed with testicular cancer are cured and more women are surviving breast cancer than ever before.

“But we still have a long way to go. Despite improvements in treatment, one in four people in the UK will die from cancer.

“With your help, we want to change that. Cancer Research UK believes that research is the key to developing better ways of preventing, detecting and treating cancer.”

Last year 4534 women walked, jogged or ran the event and raised an incredible £268,407.

For more details about the race visit www.raceforlife.org or call 0871 641 2282.