Stephanie's Delight

Stephanie Moore says she is delighted that Bobby won the recent poll to decide the best England player of the last 50 years - and reveals a new fund raising initiative for the Bobby Moore Fund for those of a sturdy disposition!

Upon being told the news of Bobby winning the F.A.'s nationwide poll which is part of UEFAs 50th anniversary celebrations, she says:

"It is absolutely magnificent and I am absolutely overjoyed; it is lovely for me to know that everyone thinks of him so well and remembers him.

"We all know that he is really supported in the East End because that is where he came from but he is also supported across the country which is wonderful to know."

Stephanie continues to work hard for the Bobby Moore Fund, of course, and adds:

"I think cancer, as it affects one in three people at some point in their lives, and one in four people will die of it, is something that touches everybody's heart.

"So the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK goes from strength to strength and this year, from that fund, we expect to raise £1m.

"With that money we are funding a new research laboratory at St. Marks hospital in Northwick Park and this is the leading centre for bowel associated diseases in Europe if not the world - so to have a laboratory there named after Bobby is very significant.

"That is going to cost £335,000 and will be up and running by April 2004.

"We are also putting in place two more research fellows, which are competitive places that could be anywhere in the UK; they will be resarching an aspect of bowel cancer specifically.

"We will be funding those and in the 10th anniversary of Bobby's death it is a big year for us - and we have gone from strength to strength."

The work does not only benefit specifically research into bowel cancer, as Stephanie explains:

"The bowel cancer gene is linked to breast cancer, for example, though I hasten to add that does not mean that if you have bowel cancer you are going to have breast cancer or vice versa, because they are not linked in that way.

"But the gene is very similar, and so the work that is done on bowel cancer does work on other forms of cancer as well and who knows where it will lead to."

As for a one-off limited place fundraising event, Stephanie is giving readers of this the first chance to raise money for the Bobby Moore Fund in a special way.

"We have a wonderful and exciting opportunity to go to Patagonia," she says.

"There are stunning mountains, glacial lakes, and spectacular scenery - this is the treat in store for 66 special people looking for the fundraising challenge of a life time in Chile.

"All you have to do is take eight days out of the office from October 8th 2004, and contact us at the Bobby Moore fund for details.

"It is challenging but it is not like our climb at Kilimanjaro; it is not at altitude.

"You just have to be reasonably fit and you need to be able to raise £3,500 to go.

"If you want to contact us about it please do at [email protected] or look at our web site which is www.cancerresearchuk.org/bmf

As for other events, she adds:

"We had our Thanksgiving ball, the first ball that we have organised on our own, at the Royal Lancaster last week and we had 750 people there.

"It was absolutely sold out and though we estimated we might raise about £30,000 we raised £86,000 - and the atmosphere on the night was fantastic.

"So many people came up and said 'please do another one, we will come to the one next year' - it was a fabulous night for all concerned.

"Our annual sports quiz is on Thursday hosted by Des Lynam, and that too is sold out; we hope to raise in excess of £100,000 for that.

"We have our golf day at Wentworth next year, Aim For Life which is our celebrity clay pigeon shoot, and of course continue with our annual events.