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
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
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
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
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.
10 years of partnership with Ralph Lauren
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
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
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.
Read their stories!
- Jon’s story – ‘I came onto the clinical trials and there was hope.'
- Shiona hits fundraising milestone
- Louise's story – 'I'm hopeful that taking part in this clinical trial could help other patients like me in the future.'
- Sibling support – Lea’s fundraising story for The Royal Marsden
- Brambletye School's fundraising – celebrating success, raising £48,000
- George's London Marathon story
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!