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Fundraisers
The Lake District Three Peak Challenge
On 28th July 2023 an intrepid team of 22 met in the scenic Borrowdale valley ready to take on three of the Lake Districts finest Peaks. This was a wonderful opportunity for many who have connected on line over the past few years to come together in real life, share their stories and do something epic!
“This was a life changing experience which surpassed all expectations. This charity is integral in helping to support, educate and connect people within the Bowel Cancer Community. I feel incredibly lucky to have met each and every person there, to hear their stories and to tell mine. Genuinely made friends and memories for life and I'm still on a high!! I will never ever forget it. Simply amazing, thank you so so much.”
We are absolutely thrilled to have collectively raised £17,000! Every penny of which will support us in achieving our aims of raising awareness and supporting other young adults who have been financially impacted as a result of their bowel cancer diagnosis.
One of our amazing Bowel Movement runners from Bath Half 2022
Bath Half Marathon 2023
We are thrilled to have 10 charity places for Bath Half 2023 which will be taking place on Sunday 15th October 2023.
If you would like more information on how to secure your place please get in touch!
Hello@thebowelmovement.uk
Jimmy’s 10k-a-day 30-day challenge 2020!
In June 2021, James McGuire took on an incredible 30-day challenge to raise money, and importantly awareness of The Bowel Movement. We were thrilled to have James as our very first charity fundraiser since our official launch in April 2021. This challenge involved a herculean effort where James ran 10 km a day for 30 consecutive days. That’s a whopping 300km in just 30 days!
James decided to take on this challenge after his wife, Gill was diagnosed with Stage 3 colorectal cancer at the age of 40. She hardly had any symptoms. After a noticing a very small amount of blood in her poo Gill decided to get checked out as a precaution. She was told that she had a T2 moderately agressive tumour in her rectum which had spread to a nearby lymph node. Gill underwent chemotherapy and radiotherapy and had a low anterior resection. She had an ileostomy fitted which was later reversed. Every single one of these treatments (and almost every single specialist appointment) was done on her own due to COVID restrictions. Gill is now living with some pretty unpleasant side effects including an early menopause as well as some very unpredictable bowel issues (LARS).
We connected with James and his family through The Bowel Movement on Instagram and they are passionate about raising awareness so that this horrible disease doesn’t take any more of our friends and family.
James Raised an incredible £3070 throughout this challenge, funds which will go directly to support people and families who have been affected by bowel cancer.
James Testimony
When I decided to do this challenge I knew it would be a physical test and, to be honest, I expected to pick up injuries as I really hadn’t trained for long enough. I thought I’d get fitter as we went along (which I did). What I wasn’t prepared for was the mental challenge of having to get myself up and running every day for a month. What with that and the logistical challenges of finding the time to run every day whilst also continuing to parent 3 young children it has certainly been challenging. The last 8 or 9 days have been the worst. My back has been hurting so much that I was literally limping whilst running pretty much all the way around.
What has got me through was the support and kind words of all the people who sent me messages and motivation- that REALLY picked me up!
I had lots of time to think whilst running and one of the things that kept coming back to me was the effect that Gill’s cancer had on our girls. They were only 7, 5 and 2 when she went through treatment and they’ve had to watch their mum go through the most horrendous lows. They know far too much about bowel cancer for kids their age and they’ve had to endure a heck of a lot in their short lives (the older 2 more). We’ve spent the last 12 months basically trying to piece them back together and they aren’t there yet. My hope is that people read the symptoms list and get checked out. Don’t allow GPs to fob you off. Insist on a referral. In this game time really is crucial. So many people have lost loved ones, don’t let your family have to go through that. Thank you for all the donations and kind words.
Become a Bowel Movement Champion
Do you want to help us raise awareness of bowel cancer throughout the UK?
Great to have you on board! Please head over to our resources page to request a Bowel Movement Resource Pack and download any of available materials!
How to be a bowel movement champion?
Have conversations! Talking really can save lives! Talk to friends, family members, colleagues, shop assistants, heck, everybody poo’s so no need to exclude anyone! Part of raising awareness involves us breaking the unnecessary taboo about our bowel habits, normalising these conversations means it is easier for people to flag when something is not right, or to talk to their GP about their bowel movements. The earlier these conversations are had, the earlier symptoms are flagged, the earlier a diagnosis is made means the more likely bowel cancer is to treat and cure. No one should die of embarrassment.
Encourage others to record their symptoms and visit their GP if something is not right. Encourage others to attend screening appointments or to complete the FIIT screening test (currently available through the national screening programme for over 50’s in England).
Be a role model. If you are experiencing any symptoms or persistent changes to your bowel habits, then please book a visit to see your GP. Don’t delay.
Remind people to check in with their bowel movements. Persistent changes are classed as any changes lasting three weeks or more. It’s easy to put subtle changes to the back of your mind, or attribute changes in our physical or mental health to other lifestyle factors such as our busy day to day lives, changes in diet, physical activity, job, child or caring responsibilities. A regular monthly reminder can help prompt people to check in with themselves, and give them a nudge to flag up when something is not right. Feel free to share our monthly reminders on social media, or generate your own using our free pack of resources.
Share! Please do share our resources far and wide. If you feel comfortable to do so, please share your stories and experiences. Hearing someone’s story can be an incredibly powerful reminder to raise concerns. Sharing can help build connections and community and help us achieve our aim for every individual faced with bowel cancer to have the best possible chance of survival.