Ryan's goal for Marie Curie's Walk Ten Northern Ireland
Charity hosts series of 10k walks in 17 stunning locations this summer

Fermanagh GAA Captain Ryan McCluskey is supporting Marie Curie Cancer Care's Walk Ten Northern Ireland, taking place in Stormont Estate, Belfast on Friday evening 30th August, and the Ulster American Folk Park, Omagh on Saturday evening 7th September.

By taking part in and fundraising for these 10K twilight walks, supporters will be helping the Marie Curie Nurses provide more free care to terminally ill people in their own homes throughout Northern Ireland.

Ryan said "My father was cared for by the Marie Curie Nursing Service five years ago, and so I know first hand the fantastic care and support that the Marie Curie Nurses provide for local families at such a difficult time. I am delighted to be supporting Marie Curie's Walk Ten and would encourage everyone from across Northern Ireland to get their walking shoes on and support their local Marie Curie Nursing Service. Make it your goal this summer to make a difference with every step you take."

Walk Ten Northern Ireland is part of a series of 10k walks and celebrations at 17 stunning venues throughout the UK this summer. Starting at 6pm, there will be live music and entertainment following the walk including radio road shows from U105 (Belfast) and Q Radio (West) firepoi artists, face painting, balloon modelling and fireworks. All participants are encouraged to bring a picnic to enjoy after the walk as they relax and enjoy the entertainment provided.

Registration is £10 per person (children under-16 go free; on the night adult registration is £20) and everyone is asked to aim to raise £100 each to support Marie Curie - this is equivalent to five hours of Marie Curie nursing care in the local area.

Ruth Hope, Regional Events Fundraiser for Marie Curie Cancer Care NI said: "Walk Ten is a unique event that gives people the chance to enjoy a summer evening walk in beautiful surroundings, followed by a fun, festival-like atmosphere and activities to share with family and friends. By signing up for Walk Ten at the Ulster American Folk Park and raising funds, you'll be helping to make it possible for Marie Curie Nurses to provide more care to terminally ill patients, and vital emotional support to their families, at the time when they need it most. If everyone who takes part raises the target of £100 per person, this could provide over 5,000 hours of Marie Curie nursing care and support throughout the West of Northern Ireland, so please sign up and help us help others in your local area."

To register for Walk Ten Walk, or for more information, go to www.mariecurie.org.uk/west or call 0845 052 4184.

Date
Venue
Area
20/07/2013
Castle Howard
North Yorkshire
20/07/2013
Sissinghurst Castle
Kent
03/08/2013
Hill of Tarvit
Fife
10/08/2013
Beaulieu
Hampshire
10/08/2013
Harewood House*
West Yorkshire
17/08/2013
Grimsthorpe Castle
Lincolnshire
17/08/2013
Margam Park
South Wales
24/08/2013
Pollok Country Park*
Glasgow
24/08/2013
Denbies Wine Estate
Surrey
30/08/2013
Stormont Estate
Belfast
31/08/2013
Badminton Estate*
South Gloucestershire
31/08/2013
Catton Park*
Derbyshire
31/08/2013
Gibside
Tyne and Wear
31/08/2013
Dalkeith Country Estate*
Edinburgh and the Lothians
07/09/2013
Althorp House*
Northamptonshire
07/09/2013
Tatton Park
Cheshire
07/09/2013
Ulster American Folk Park
Omagh
* New venues in 2013

Marie Curie Cancer Care is one of the UK's largest charities. Employing more than 2,700 nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals, it provided care to more than 35,000 terminally ill patients in the community and in its nine hospices last year and is the largest provider of hospice beds outside the NHS.

Funding
Around 70 per cent of the charity's income comes from the generous support of thousands of individuals, membership organisations and businesses, with the balance of our funds coming from the NHS.

Marie Curie Nurses
The charity is best known for its network of Marie Curie Nurses working in the community to provide end of life care, totally free for patients in their own homes.

Research
The charity provides core funding for three palliative care research facilities; the Marie Curie Palliative Care Research Unit at University College London, the Marie Curie Palliative Care Institute Liverpool and the Marie Curie Palliative Care Centre at the Wales Cancer Trials Unit (Cardiff University). The charity also supports palliative and end of life care research through its project grant funding streams, the Marie Curie Cancer Care Research Programme (administered by Cancer Research UK) and the Dimbleby Marie Curie Cancer Care Research Fund. Both research programmes aims to tackle the funding and knowledge gap in palliative and end of life care research, which in turn will benefit patients, families and carers.

The right to die in place of choice
Research shows around 63 per cent of people would like to die at home if they had a terminal illness, with a sizeable minority opting for hospice care. However, more than 50 per cent of cancer deaths still occur in hospital, the place people say they would least like to be. Since 2004 Marie Curie Cancer Care has been campaigning for more patients to be able to make the choice to be cared for and die in their place of choice. Tweet

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