In 2024 our founder Melanie, established Melanie’s Miles of Hope.

Mel was an extraordinary lady whose determination and generosity touched countless lives. After being diagnosed in 2023 with breast cancer, she ran her first marathon just a week later, showing an incredible spirit in the face of adversity. A year later & she rallied a huge team of 60 friends & family to take on the Leeds half marathon in May 2024. Strongly against doctors advice & during gruelling chemo, Mel dug deep and competed the half marathon herself. Again, leaving us all speechless with her extraordinary determination & zest for life.

Throughout her treatment, she used running, walking and the gym as a foundation for strength. She also accessed complementary therapies like mistletoe & oxygen therapy, sound baths and dietary changes - resources she was fortunate to afford. After speaking to those she became friends with on the chemo wards, Mel identified a gap in the support available and set out to ambitiously set up her own charity. With a vision of providing practical support to enhance the day to day quality of life for cancer patients in Yorkshire.

In Melanie’s own words “I want to make an actual difference to local people. I want to help people buy a wig if they can’t afford one, I want to help a cancer patient go on holiday with their loved ones if they can’t afford it. I want to help them access some alternative therapies if they can’t afford it, or pay for an annual gym or swimming membership to get them active again. There’s no charity that offers this kind of diverse and practical support so I’ve decided to set one up myself! I want to create a legacy, even if it’s a short lived one, that helps some cancer patients that I’ve met along the way. The cancer community is huge and I’ve met some inspiring and amazing people but some of whom are really struggling. So let’s give some support to those that are in need and we will then know that every penny collected will actually make a difference to real, every day people. Who knows, maybe this legacy could develop into full charity status that would be a dream but for now, I just want to do everything I can to help others whilst making my daughter feel proud of her mummy and also teaching her what’s possible, even with a life limiting illness”.

A year on & in Melanie’s memory we hope to make her dream a reality by receiving official charity status by summer 2026.

This is a collective fundraising page to cover a variety of activities & events throughout the year for Melanie’s Miles of Hope. Thank you for your continued support