Baton relay for cancer research to visit Leeds

A baton relay taking place across Yorkshire to raise money for cancer research is set to visit Leeds later.

The Baton for Yorkshire, which started in Hull on 30 April and ends in Harrogate on 28 May, sees researchers, fundraisers and those who have had a cancer diagnosis come together to support Yorkshire Cancer Research.

The walk is part of the charity's We Walk for Yorkshire campaign, which is urging people to collectively walk 35,000 miles (56,327km) in May - representing the 35,000 people diagnosed with cancer in Yorkshire each year.

Among the baton-bearers will be journalist and former ITV Calendar presenter Christine Talbot, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012.

Talbot, who underwent eight rounds of lifesaving chemotherapy, will take the baton from researchers at the University of Leeds at about 10:00 BST.

The baton will be carried around the university campus before going to The Queens Hotel, where the charity's first fundraising appeal was held.

It will then be carried by members of Leeds City Council before visiting the BBC Look North studio.

Talbot said: "It's my great honour to be asked to start my walk at Leeds University, where the first research into chemotherapy began.

"A young scientist back in 1929 called Isaac Berenblum came to work at the university as a researcher and he discovered that mustard gas actually stopped cancer tumours growing.

"That is where the first development started into chemotherapy - which of course has saved millions of lives ever since."

Talbot, now a columnist and podcaster, said: "I had breast cancer in 2012. I was treated throughout that year and I had eight rounds of chemo, quite aggressive chemo because I had a quite aggressive tumour.

"So for me it's a really emotional moment to be asked to do that."

The baton has already travelled more than 200 miles (320km), passing through some of Yorkshire's historic cities, rural market towns, the coast and the Dales.

Alongside raising vital funds for life-saving cancer research, the We Walk for Yorkshire baton relay offers people with experience of cancer - either personally or through a loved one - the opportunity to hold the baton for someone or something special to them.

Each baton-bearer will be invited to share a name of who they are walking for and place personal messages inside the baton as it makes its journey across the region.

Dr Kathryn Scott, Chief Executive at Yorkshire Cancer Research, said: "Every year, 35,000 people in Yorkshire are told they have cancer, and far too many people in our region lose loved ones to the disease.

"But thanks to continued investment in research, we're seeing real progress, with new breakthroughs and discoveries leading to better treatments and cures which give people more precious time together."

She added: "The Baton for Yorkshire is a visible reminder of the progress made possible thanks to pioneering research but the work that still needs to be done.

"Every person who carries the baton plays a vital role in the charity's life-saving mission to find new and better ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer in Yorkshire."

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.