Help Beat Cancer, without running a step of the Great North Run

This month on the 18th September, Corporate Risk System’s Richard Ball, takes on 54,000 other runners in Newcastle and Gateshead’s Great North Run. The 13.1 miles billed as the world’s most iconic half-marathon on the planet, is a great opportunity our the Head of Environment to put all his many miles of training into practice. His training runs are based around many of the CRS venues including his home area of Cannock Chase near Burton on Trent and across the country including York, Colchester, Reading, London and Durham.

This year Richard is running for Cancer Research a disease that in the UK, affects one in three people at some point in their lives. Every year, over 285,000 people are diagnosed with the disease, about the population of Reading. Many people believe that getting cancer is purely down to genes, fate or bad luck. But through scientific research, we know that our risk actually depends on a combination of our genes, our environment and aspects of our lives, many of which we can control.

Working in the environmental and occupational health sector, safety practioners understand the importance of risk management in areas such as asbestos, petro-chemicals or those staff working outside with higher levels of exposure to UV light all of which have the potential to increase cancer rates which is why Cancer Research seems a fitting cause. The HSE provides a range of guides on these areas so just click on the links for more information.
Cancer Research UK also advises that up to half of cases could be prevented by lifestyle changes, such as:

• not smoking
• cutting back on alcohol
• keeping a healthy body weight
• eating a healthy, balanced diet
• keeping active
• staying safe in the sun
  

So whether you choose to sponsor Richard, with whatever amount you can at www.runningsponsorme.org/richardball , review your organisation’s risk management programme for carcinogens or by moderating your lifestyle a little and promoting it with others, through a work wellness programme; you could help reduce the numbers who get diagnosed with Cancer each year without running a step of the Great North Run.

If your running in this years Great North run yourself why not give us a tweet @CRS_RISK