Your top fundraising achievements of 2023

This year has been full of inspiring and record-breaking moments thanks to our incredible supporters. Read on to see some of the highlights of 2023.

Fundraiser feature

There were so many ways that you helped us continue to make a difference to the lives of those affected by cancer: 

Awe-inspiring events

Legends of Europe match: Chelsea FC v Bayern Munich  

Four people standing outside the front steps of The Royal Marsden Chelsea hospital
Chelsea FC Legends Roberto Di Matteo, Gianfranco Zola and Claudio Pizarro with Professor David Cunningham at The Royal Marsden

On 9 September 2023 the Legends of Europe football match was held in memory of the late Gianluca Vialli, an iconic former Chelsea forward and manager who was treated at The Royal Marsden.

The team was made up of legendary Chelsea players from different eras of football, who took on Bayern Munich Legends. The proceeds of the game were split between the Chelsea Foundation and The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity. 

Find out more about the game and the team of fantastic Royal Marsden mascots.  

Team Marsden smashed London Marathon fundraising record

A person i a Royal Marsden Cancer Charity running shirt smiling and holding their hands up while running along a road with other marathon runners

Thanks to you, 2023 was The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity’s best year yet at the TSC London Marathon, with 96 Team Marsden runners raising over £500,000. 

We also had a fantastic year for the Royal Parks Half Marathon, where we had 236 runners who raised £219,000, including the top fundraiser for the entire Royal Parks event! A huge well done and thank you to all our runners.

Interested in joining Team Marsden in 2024? Find out more about our upcoming events.

The Banham Marsden March 2023  

Four people, and one in a wheelchair, walking in pink Banham Marsden March t-shirts along a park path on a sunny day.

Thank you to everyone who came to The Banham Marsden March – in total we raised over £1.5 million! 

Over 4,000 of you walked either five miles or 15 miles with us between the two Royal Marsden sites on a sunny day in May. We also had just over 250 join us as at Home walkers. An extra thank you to Kate, Debbie and Malcolm who marched with us this year and shared their inspiring stories on our blog. 

 

We couldn’t have done it without over 200 volunteers who worked very hard to keep everyone’s spirits up. And a huge shout out to Banham, thank you for sponsoring us and for donating the Banham Marsden March caps! 

In 2024 join us and walk 15 miles, or our family friendly five-mile route, to transform the lives of cancer patients. Find out more about The Banham Marsden March. 

The Ever after Garden was back this winter

The backs of two people walking through a garden of illuminated white roses at night time

Between 16 November and 19 December, over 25,000 illuminated roses lit up Grosvenor Square in the heart of Mayfair. Many people visited the stunning display to dedicate a rose in memory of a loved one and make a donation to The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.

2023 was the Ever After Garden’s most successful year to date, helping to improve the lives of cancer patients everywhere. Thank you to everyone who came along and supported the garden.

Find out more about the Ever after Garden.

20th year of Celebrate a Life

People gathered outside the front of The Royal Marsden in Chelsea with Christmas lights projected onto it saying '20 years Celebrate a Life 2023'.
20 years of Celebrate a Life

For the past 20 years, we have gathered at The Royal Marsden for our Celebrate a Life carol services, to cherish the lives of the people who are most special to us. 

This year our services took place on Tuesday 5 December in Sutton and Thursday 7 December in Chelsea. Thank you to everyone who joined us, both virtually and in-person to celebrate your special stars. Both nights were wonderful, with Christmas lights, carols and performances from choirs and bands. You can watch our carol services online.

Thank you to everyone who named a shining star. Your support helps us to ensure that The Royal Marsden can continue to make a vital difference to the lives of cancer patients and their families.    

Another special thank you to Sara, Maria, Chris and Angela for sharing their stories on our blog this year.

Two people looking down and smiling at a newborn baby
Maria named a star for her beautiful daughter, Mia.
A father sitting on a hammock in the garden with his two small children
Sara named a star for her late husband, Tony.
Two men taking a selfie in front of an outside swimming pool
Chris named a star for his partner, Helio
A young child smiling in a Snow White dress
Angela named a star for her late daughter, Naomi
Two people looking down and smiling at a newborn baby
Maria named a star for her beautiful daughter, Mia.
A father sitting on a hammock in the garden with his two small children
Sara named a star for her late husband, Tony.
Two men taking a selfie in front of an outside swimming pool
Chris named a star for his partner, Helio
A young child smiling in a Snow White dress
Angela named a star for her late daughter, Naomi

Our amazing partnerships

10 years of partnership with Ralph Lauren 

A Royal Marsden doctor in a long white coat standing in a medical room with test tubes and equipment on the counters

October was Pink Pony month, Ralph Lauren’s global cancer awareness and fundraising initiative. We also celebrated the 10th anniversary of our partnership with Ralph Lauren.

Since 2013 they have supported us in making an enormous difference for cancer patients every day – from the opening of the Ralph Lauren Centre for Breast Cancer Research in 2016 through to their amazing support of our Oak Cancer Centre appeal, funding the Ralph Lauren Research Wing. 

Thank you to everyone at Ralph Lauren for this incredible decade of collaboration. Read more about the highlights of our partnership.

The Ralph Lauren Giving Tree has also been lighting up Bond Street for the festive season. It is such a special tree, where you can make a donation to dedicate a star in aid of The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity. 

You can head down to Bond Street to see the tree until the end of the year.  

Le Cure 10th year of the event

Three smiling people on bikes wearing cycling gear and helmets, stationary on a winding road surrounded by mountains

This wasn’t the only decade milestone to celebrate, it was also the 10th year of the Le Cure cycling event. Each year a team of inspiring cyclists ride the French Alps over four days to raise money for breast cancer research at The Royal Marsden.

A huge thank you to Le Cure and all the Curistas who have taken part over the years! 

Related Argent’s support for early diagnosis at The Royal Marsden

Three people, including a Royal Marsden Radiographer in uniform in the middle, standing in front of a large piece of white machinery in a hospital room

Property firm Related Argent has raised an incredible £445,000, to support a suite of state-of-the-art equipment for the Charles Wolfson Rapid Diagnostic Centre in the Oak Cancer Centre. 

The team took on two fundraising challenges: a 407km cycle ride from London to Paris, and a 21-mile trek across the Surrey Hills from Lewes to Eastbourne. We are so grateful to Related Argent for supporting us – thank you!

Read more about Related Argent's amazing fundraising efforts.

Fundraiser shout out

Thank you to all of our fantastic fundraisers who continue to go above and beyond for the Charity. Here are some of them below:

Jon standing in a rolling green field on a sunny day, wearing a backpack and walking gear.
Jon walked 150 miles from Bristol to Sutton to raise money for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity and The Friends of Bristol Haematology & Oncology Centre (BHOC).
Four hikers smiling in front of a view of a beautiful mountain range at sunset
Shiona (bottom right) hosted an event at the BT Tower in August to celebrate reaching a £100,000 fundraising milestone! Team Shomelanoma's fundraisers have included treks, marathons and danceathons.
Louise and Senior Nurse Pilar in The West Wing. Louise is sat next to the Nurse in a purple treatment chair. She is wearing a bright orange and pink patterned shirt and both are smiling.
Louise took part in our Summer Skydive in 2022, and this year took on an abseil challenge down Portsmouth’s Iconic Spinnaker Tower – one of the most challenging abseils in the UK.
Three young school girls in grey uniforms standing and smiling in front of a door
Brambletye School in Sussex began a fundraising campaign after pupil, Pippa, was treated at The Royal Marsden for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). They raised an incredible £48,000.
A young person smiling and leaning against a wall with Royal Marsden Cancer Charity branding
Paediatric patient Issy set up 'Issy's Silver Linings' to fundraise for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity. This year she was nominated for The Sun's Who Cares Wins Award, and was thrilled to be one of three finalists in the Young Heroes Award.
George in a Royal Marsden Cancer Charity running vest, standing in a busy town market
George took on the TCS London Marathon for his parents, who were both treated at The Royal Marsden. He raised £6,000 for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.
A man with his two young children standing in a chicken pen holding eggs, one child is holding a chicken
We are so lucky to have a huge variety of supporters fundraising for us in unique and wonderful ways. Carl, pictured here with his children George and Isla, has been generously supporting us this summer through selling eggs laid by his chickens.
Jon standing in a rolling green field on a sunny day, wearing a backpack and walking gear.
Jon walked 150 miles from Bristol to Sutton to raise money for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity and The Friends of Bristol Haematology & Oncology Centre (BHOC).
Four hikers smiling in front of a view of a beautiful mountain range at sunset
Shiona (bottom right) hosted an event at the BT Tower in August to celebrate reaching a £100,000 fundraising milestone! Team Shomelanoma's fundraisers have included treks, marathons and danceathons.
Louise and Senior Nurse Pilar in The West Wing. Louise is sat next to the Nurse in a purple treatment chair. She is wearing a bright orange and pink patterned shirt and both are smiling.
Louise took part in our Summer Skydive in 2022, and this year took on an abseil challenge down Portsmouth’s Iconic Spinnaker Tower – one of the most challenging abseils in the UK.
Three young school girls in grey uniforms standing and smiling in front of a door
Brambletye School in Sussex began a fundraising campaign after pupil, Pippa, was treated at The Royal Marsden for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). They raised an incredible £48,000.
A young person smiling and leaning against a wall with Royal Marsden Cancer Charity branding
Paediatric patient Issy set up 'Issy's Silver Linings' to fundraise for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity. This year she was nominated for The Sun's Who Cares Wins Award, and was thrilled to be one of three finalists in the Young Heroes Award.
George in a Royal Marsden Cancer Charity running vest, standing in a busy town market
George took on the TCS London Marathon for his parents, who were both treated at The Royal Marsden. He raised £6,000 for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.
A man with his two young children standing in a chicken pen holding eggs, one child is holding a chicken
We are so lucky to have a huge variety of supporters fundraising for us in unique and wonderful ways. Carl, pictured here with his children George and Isla, has been generously supporting us this summer through selling eggs laid by his chickens.

Read their stories!

Thank you! 

A huge thank you to everyone who has supported us over 2023. Whether you chose to take part in an event, fundraise for us, make a donation, or leave a gift in your Will – your support, however big or small, has had the potential to save lives. 

Have a happy New Year! 

Read more!

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