Breast cancer researchers at the University of Aberdeen are to benefit from almost £70,000 raised by the annual Moonlight Prowl in Fraserburgh.
The annual fundraiser, which is organised by a dedicated group of ladies from Fraserburgh, has seen thousands of women walking either six or thirteen miles overnight to raise money for breast cancer research at the University of Aberdeen since 2008. The events have also attracted a huge amount of community support with many locals opening up their doors along the route for comfort stops and providing free food for participants while husbands, partners and friends are involved as event stewards. A local hall is also given for free as a finishing point where home bakes and refreshments are available for those taking part.
The income from this year’s event takes the total raised since 2008 to over half a million pounds and every single penny goes towards breast cancer research at the University of Aberdeen. Professor Steven Heys, Head of the Division of Applied Medicine stated “The funds raised by the Fraserburgh Moonlight Prowl are vital to our research programme and they will be used to support the on-going research programmne here in the North East of Scotland into Breast Cancer. The current reserach projects are investigating how diet and the environnment interact to cause breast cancer, to understand why pateint respond in different ways to the same treatment and why others respond differently to different treatments, and how we can support pateints and their families in a better way through the cancer journey. Every penny raised goes towards this.”
Fundraising income for breast cancer research is channelled through the University of Aberdeen Development Trust which is a registered charity. The Trust raises essential funds to support much of the University’s activities such as vital medical research as well as supporting students through the provision of scholarships, bursaries and facilities. Funding from alumni, individuals, companies, organisations and the community is essential for the development of breast cancer research in Aberdeen as well as many other activities.