Sir Chris said: “Every year hundreds of people take part in the Monster Bike and Hike for Maggie’s Centres, pushing themselves to the limit and beyond to reach their goals and raise hundreds of thousands of pounds for Maggie’s. Make 2010 the year that you take on the challenge of the Monster Bike and Hike, and help people living with cancer.”

Monster 2010 is the ultimate fundraising experience with participants completing a 30-mile cycle and then choosing to hike eight (bronze), 22 (silver) or 43 miles (gold). The event takes place on the bank holiday weekend of May 1st and 2nd and takes in some of Scotland’s most awe-inspiring scenery, starting under the shadow of Ben Nevis in Fort William, along the Caledonian Canal and the Great Glen Way offering views of Loch Ness en route to Inverness.

2010 will be the seventh year of the Monster Bike and Hike, with over £3 million raised to date. Over 600 people have signed up to take part already and Maggie’s Centres are hoping that the event will reach 1,000 participants for the first time.

Event Manager Georgina Bushell said: “Monster has allowed Maggie’s to open new centres and to support tens of thousands of people on their journey through cancer. We would love to get 1,000 people signed up for Monster 2010, so if you or anyone you know is up for a challenge, send them the link to our website www.MaggiesCentres.org/Monster  where you can watch a film from the 2009 event.”
 
David Taylor, from Carluke in Lanarkshire, who took part in the 2009 event and got to the silver stage said: “My friends and I still talk about the weekend we had in May. Monster is a tremendous experience – the scenery, the challenge, the support and the chance to spend a weekend with your friends doing something you will always remember. There are distances to suit everyone. Before I signed up for the 2009 Monster I hadn’t exercised properly for years, Monster gave me something to focus on and I feel all the better for it.”

David continued: “I’ve visited Maggie’s Glasgow Centre and felt incredibly proud that my efforts and fundraising was helping people on their journey with cancer. Maggie’s Centres are special places and it is great that they are for anyone affected by any type of cancer as well as their family and friends. My friends and I raised £2,500 in 2009 and Maggie’s estimate that that will pay for almost 100 people to visit their centres.”

Alan Law, who uses Maggie’s Fife Centre, said: “In Maggie’s I can actually explain the good days along with the not so good to like-minded souls, who you know understand the emotions that come through living with cancer. Maggie’s Centres are uniquely designed buildings on the outside but inside they are like a home. You are genuinely cared for supported and encouraged to be just who you are. The centres are safe places to find your best route to manage the illness and make the journey ahead much smoother.”

To find out more about Maggie’s and Monster 2010 visit www.MaggiesCentres.org/Monster  call Claire Devlin on 0845 602 6427  or e-mail monster@maggiescentres.org

For more media information contact Murray Easton on 0141 341 5681 or email murray.easton@maggiescentres.org

Notes to Editor:

•    Over 3,700 people have taken part in Maggie’s Monster Bike and Hike to date, raising over £3 million to help Maggie’s to build and support centres across the UK
•    Monster is a team event for friends, families or colleagues, with a fundraising target of £400 per person
•    Maggie’s place a heavy emphasis on supporting participants in the lead up to the event, during and afterwards – mirroring the support we provide in our centres.
•    Maggie’s provide a pasta party and safety briefing on Friday 30 April. Tea coffee, water, fruit, soups, sandwiches and snacks are available at each checkpoint.
•    Maggie’s model of support empowers people to live with, through and beyond cancer.
•    Maggie’s Centres offer a programme of practical, emotional and psychological support to people with cancer, their families, friends and carers. Maggie’s is support is free of charge and operates on a drop-in basis.
•    There are currently five existing centres in Scotland – Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, Inverness and Fife. With an interim service in Lanarkshire.
•    New centres are planned for Lanarkshire; funded by Colin Montgomerie through the Elizabeth Montgomerie Foundation and a second centre in Glasgow next to the new Beatson Oncology Centre at Gartnavel.
•    Maggie’s Dundee was designed by legendary architect Frank Gehry who was a friend of founder Maggie Keswick Jencks.
•    Maggie’s London opened in April 2008 and further centres are planned for Oxford, Cotswolds, Nottingham, Swansea and Newcastle.