As the official energy sponsor of the Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life, ScottishPower employees from the company’s Shoreham Power Station are giving participants a supportive "High 5" to wish them in luck in this weekend’s Brighton event.

The Shoreham team have been busy raising funds for Cancer Research UK - over £1,000 to date - which adds to the £2 million sum raised by ScottishPower, their employees and customers in less than 18 months, which was announced last month.

ScottishPower’s fundraising campaign for the Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life is the High 5 Challenge – an initiative to take on five fun challenges and use positive energy to do something great, with the aim of turning 50,000 High 5s into a £25,000* donation for Cancer Research UK in 2013.

ScottishPower formed a major partnership with the charity in February 2012 and has raised vital funds through a raft of different initiatives and events including Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life and sales of a discounted ‘Help beat cancer’ energy tariff.

ScottishPower is also working together with the charity to help people understand the link between lifestyle and cancer. This includes sharing healthy living messages with their customers and employees to help reduce their risk of the disease.

Earlier this year, the team at Shoreham took part in Cancer Awareness Roadshows run by ScottishPower’s Occupational Health Department and Cancer Research UK to find out more about spotting the symptoms of cancer early and how a healthy lifestyle can help reduce the risk of cancer.

Learning more about their chosen charity, ScottishPower employees were advised on prevention, screening and early detection of cancer.

Gary Murray, Station Manager at ScottishPower’s Shoreham Power Station said: “Cancer Research UK is a rewarding charity to work with and our ongoing sponsorship of the Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life underpins our commitment to supporting them.  Our Shoreham team really benefited from the Cancer Awareness Roadshows and since learning more about the initial warning signs of cancer, they’ve raised funds to help support the fantastic research that Cancer Research UK carries out.  We wish everybody taking part in this weekend’s race a huge good luck from ScottishPower.”

*ScottishPower Energy Retail Ltd is the official energy sponsor of Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life. £0.50 will be donated to Cancer Research UK Trading Ltd by ScottishPower for each valid High 5, up to a maximum donation of £25,000.

For further information please contact Emma Pollock at Stripe Communications on 0131 561 8685 / 07736913259 or emma.pollock@stripecommunications.com

Notes to Editors

• The more people who get involved in the High 5 Challenge, the more money ScottishPower gives to Cancer Research UK.
• ScottishPower Energy Retail Ltd is the official energy sponsor of Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life. £0.50 will be donated to Cancer Research UK Trading Ltd by ScottishPower for each valid High 5, up to a maximum donation of £25,000.
• We’d love to see it too so you can also post it on our Facebook or Twitter to help raise awareness of the High 5 Challenge and generate more High 5s.

About Race for Life

• Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life 2013 is the UK’s largest women-only fundraising event series with over 230 events around the UK from May to the end of September.
• Women and girls of all ages, abilities, shapes and sizes from all over the UK join together to walk, jog or run 5k to raise money to help beat over 200 types of cancer affecting men, women and children.  All women are welcome, regardless of whether they are taking part on their own or as part of a group.
• This year it will be even easier to take part and raise money as a group, with the introduction of a simple to use online group entry process.
• In 2013, Cancer Research UK hopes to recruit 560,000 women and raise £50m to help fund life-saving work.
• Women will have the opportunity to take part in the traditional 5k or opt for a 10k route, without having to pay an additional entry fee, at 39 venues across the UK.
• The entry fee is £14.99 for adults and £10 for girls under 16.  This covers the costs of staging the event series and means that money raised in sponsorship can go to help beat cancer.
• Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life started as one event in 1994 at Battersea Park with 680 participants.
• Since Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life started, an incredible 6.5 million participants across the UK have raised over £490 million to fund Cancer Research UK’s vital work.

About Cancer Research UK

• Cancer Research UK is the world’s leading cancer charity dedicated to saving lives through research
• The charity’s pioneering work into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer has helped save millions of lives.
• Cancer Research UK receives no government funding for its life-saving research. Every step it makes towards beating cancer relies on every pound donated.
• Cancer Research UK has been at the heart of the progress that has already seen survival rates in the UK double in the last forty years.
• Cancer Research UK supports research into all aspects of cancer through the work of over 4,000 scientists, doctors and nurses.
• Together with its partners and supporters, Cancer Research UK's vision is to bring forward the day when all cancers are cured.

For further information about Cancer Research UK's work or to find out how to support the charity, please call 0300 123 1861 or visit www.cancerresearchuk.org. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook