Business Beats Cancer dinner raises £80,000 for Cancer Research UK

Proceeds raised at the event will help fund Cancer Research UK’s scientists, with all the proceeds going to the world-renowned Beatson Institute at Bearsden in Glasgow.

This is the third Business Beats Cancer dinner which has grown year on year both in terms of attendance and fundraising.

The fundraising dinner was the brainchild of Rowan Main, Corporate & Community Fundraising Manager at Cancer Research UK, who worked closely with Business Beats Cancer Chair, Joanne Casey of Mactaggart & Mickel Homes to bring this to fruition.

Following the success of these dinners, plans are underway for similar events in Edinburgh, London, Southampton and Bristol.

Guests at last night’s dinner heard from a variety of speakers including inspirational speeches from Great Britain’s most decorated female Olympian, Dame Katherine Grainger DBE, former Scottish rugby captain Andy Nicol and Dr Seth Coffelt from CRUK Beatson Institute for Cancer Research.

Joanne Casey, chair of Business Beats Cancer said: “I was 22 years old when both my father aged 49 and brother aged 18 tragically lost their battle with cancer within two weeks of one another, so this charity is very close to my heart. Unfortunately, I am not alone and many of our lives are still hugely affected by this terrible disease. Cancer Research UK receives no Government funding for their lifesaving research but is the largest funder of cancer research in the world, funding almost half of all cancer research here in the UK. We can directly impact on Cancer Research UK’s mission to see 3 in 4 people surviving cancer in by 2034 by helping fund life-saving research and this is what our dinner is all about: helping researchers at Glasgow’s world-class Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute create more birthdays for more people.”

Rowan Main, Corporate & Community Fundraising manager at Cancer Research UK, said: “Business Beats Cancer is a great initiative which taps into the drive and positive energy of Scotland’s business community. Following the success of these events, I am looking forward to similar events which harness the drive and ambition of business communities across the UK.”

Supporting companies and sponsors for #BusinessBeatsCancer include Weir Group, Anderson Associates, Barclays, BIG Partnership, Creditfix, French Duncan, Johnston Carmichael, Mactaggart & Mickel Homes, Radiator, September Marketing, Shepherd & Wedderburn and TL Dallas.