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Trolley dash to raise money for the Grace Research Fund

A mad trolley dash with competitors in fancy dress will raise thousands of pounds for the Grace Research Fund once again this month.

Nurses and doctors together with families and friends of premature babies who have been helped by staff at local hospitals will be pushing brightly decorated shopping trollies in The Big Push from the University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire at 10am on Sunday, November 24.

The teams will be travelling eight miles to the finishing line at the University of Warwick’s Cryfield Pavilion.

It costs £10 per person to register (£5 for students) and teams of four are encouraged to enter and raise money for the Grace Research Fund which funds research into the causes of premature births and the best forms of neonatal care.

Dr Andy Coe, consultant paediatrician at University Hospital, said this was the fifth trolley dash in aid of the Grace Research Fund.

“Last year we raised £6,000 but we want to improve on last year’s achievements,” he said. “This annual event is only successful because of the generous and enthusiastic efforts of everyone who takes part in The Big Push.

“We have had Super Heroes take part in the past and we want everyone who is pushing a shopping trolley to dress up and have a fun day.

“All the sponsorship money is given to the Grace Research Fund and we have just awarded a £60,000 PhD stipend to consultant paediatrician Professor Simon Murch at the University of Warwick for a project to look at the bacteria we carry in our guts and its possible relationship to why babies don’t grow well within their mother’s womb.

“This is one of our biggest annual fundraising events of the year and it would be great to have as many teams as possible involved.

“Prizes will be awarded to the best dressed team, the team who raises the most money and a wooden spoon will be given to the team who finishes last.”

Coventry City FC is supporting The Big Push since the Grace Research Fund is their nominated charity for the year and the charity’s name is emblazoned on the first team’s shirts as part of a three-month sponsorship deal.

Stacie McDermott, marketing manager at Coventry City, has urged Sky Blues fans to enter a team to support the fantastic work of a local charity.

“The work which Grace Research Fund supports makes a difference to thousands of lives and the trolley dash is a great, fun way of raising money for a charity based in Coventry and Warwickshire,” she said.

“We have already had a positive response to the team’s new shirts being sponsored by the Grace Research Fund since they are CBRE’s nominated charity as well as ours for the year.

“We would encourage as many fans as possible to join in and I am sure the sight of all the shopping trollies being pushed by people in fancy dress along the route will cause quite a stir and hopefully inspire people to donate.”

To register a team, email graceresearchfund@warwick.ac.uk or visit www.graceresearchfund.org

PICTURE CAPTION: Ready for the trolley dash, from the left, are Eleanor Deeley (Grace Research Fund), Coventry City manager Steven Pressley, Jaine Fleetwood (Grace Research Fund) and Dr Andy Coe (University Hospital)

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Grace Research Fund .