Wands make historic commitment

The Ryman League's Cray Wanderers made history on Saturday when they kicked off the new season in kit bearing the logo of the Breast Cancer Campaign.

The Premier Division outfit - the world’s second oldest football club – will wear the charity's logo on their match-day shirts in all league and cup games throughout the 2013-14 campaign.

The Wands became the first Non-League side to make a season long commitment to the charity after manager Ian Jenkins approached them with a proposal to help raise awareness of their work and raise funding for research into the killer disease which is diagnosed in more than 50,000 people in the UK every year.

Jenkins, pictured with the new strip bearing the charity's logo, has been supporting their efforts since three members of his own family were diagnosed. His fundraising activities this year have included running the London Marathon in April and organising a charity golf day this summer.

The Wands manager said: "I have seen at first hand the damage breast cancer can do to people who contract this disease and how it affects their families. My wife Wendy, my mother-in-law and my sister-in-law all suffered from it.

"Fortunately they all came through. But there is still a lot of work to be done. And charities like Breast Cancer Campaign need our support to raise funds to continue the fight against this horrible disease."

Jenkins is now looking to expand the club's fundraising activities over the season with other initiatives and has the backing of Cray Wanderers Chairman Gary Hillman.

He said: "I will be meeting with Ian to look at ways to maximise our support for this campaign. We will also be speaking to the charity to get their help and advice to make sure we get the best return on our efforts."

Breast Cancer is the most common form of cancer in the UK. Although the number of cases diagnosed has risen over the last thirty years, the mortality rates have continued to fall. Forty years ago the five year survival rate was around 50 per cent. Today over 80 per cent of men and women diagnosed will be alive in five years time.

These improvements have been made by research into better treatments and promotion of early diagnosis. Breast Cancer Campaign aims to beat breast cancer by funding innovative world-class research to understand how breast cancer develops, leading to improved diagnosis, treatment, prevention and cure.

Laurence Byrne, the charity's Community Fundraising Manager, thanked the Ryman club and Jenkins for making an historic commitment in support of their work.

He said: "We’re delighted that Cray Wanderers will be supporting Breast Cancer Campaign in this way. Our thanks go to Ian and everyone at the club who have helped to make this fundraising initiative happen. All of their efforts will be helping Breast Cancer Campaign fund life-saving research to help detect, prevent and treat the disease more effectively.

Byrne added: "We wish Cray Wanderers every success with their fundraising and look forward to seeing how they get on this season."

For more information on the charity visit: www.breastcancercampaign.org.