Keele wins Marie Curie Champions League
Keele University became the inaugural winners of the Marie Curie Champions League. Nick Reeves (VP AU and Sport) and Adrian Craig (AU Deputy President) accepted the award at the BUCS annual awards night in Liverpool.
Marie Curie and BUCS formed a partnership in 2014 and since then many universities have begun fundraising for the charity for the title of ‘Marie Curie Champions League’ winners. Marie Curie provides care and support for more than 40,000 people living with a terminal illness and their families in the UK each year.
This year, Keele University sport clubs raised £5668.39 for Marie Curie, which equates to 283 hours of nursing care for people living with a terminal illness. Men’s Football, alongside their coach, Keith Harrison, undertook three gruelling challenges throughout the year, alongside many other fundraising activities. In June 2014 they cycled from London to Keele, then a team decided to undertake the Three Peaks Challenge and that was closely followed in June 2015 with a bike ride from Keele to Paris - all helping raise an incredible amount of money towards the overall total. Marie Curie is a charity close to Men’s Football as their coach, Keith, contracted a rare cancer, which required his right eye to be removed in May 2013. His ongoing struggle with cancer did not stop him from being an integral part of these fundraising activities.
The total raised this year by the clubs was phenomenal and a huge number of clubs contributed to the total, including Netball’s Charity Zumba session, Men’s Football and AU Ball raffles.