Baton for Yorkshire carried through birthplace of Yorkshire's cancer charity

Leeds – the birthplace of Yorkshire Cancer Research and a city with over a century of life-saving cancer breakthroughs – has welcomed the Baton for Yorkshire as the charity marks another milestone in its landmark baton relay.  

As part of the charity’s We Walk for Yorkshire fundraising campaign, people across Yorkshire are carrying the baton across 35 iconic Yorkshire locations this May, in recognition of the 35,000 people diagnosed with cancer in the region each year.

100 years on since the charity’s first fundraising appeal in Leeds, the baton was carried through the city centre by people with experience of cancer, charity supporters and community groups, as well as charity ambassador and former ITV Calendar presenter Christine Talbot.

Having travelled 210 miles and completed its route through East and South Yorkshire, the Baton for Yorkshire arrived in Wakefield last week to begin its West Yorkshire leg. Passed from person to person - each united by a shared commitment to help save lives in Yorkshire - the baton will continue its journey through West Yorkshire and into North Yorkshire, finishing at the Yorkshire Cancer Research Centre in Harrogate on 28 May.

The Leeds leg of the relay began with a handover at the University of Leeds, home to a century of pioneering cancer breakthroughs funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research. This includes the early foundations of chemotherapy in 1929, world-leading advancements in bowel cancer surgery from the 1980s and today’s cutting-edge clinical trials saving and improving lives in Yorkshire and beyond.

Starting the day were researchers from the University of Leeds who are leading innovative clinical trials to find new and better ways to treat cancers. 

Among them was Rebecca Day, part of a team of experts at the University's Clinical Trials Research Unit, delivering the ground-breaking APHRODITE trial for people with rectal cancer, which is exploring whether higher doses of radiotherapy can increase the likelihood of the cancer disappearing completely without significantly increasing side effects. She was joined by colleague Daniel McRae, one of the pioneering researchers working on FOxTROT 2 and 3, two international bowel cancer clinical trials investigating how treatment can be improved by giving certain groups of people chemotherapy before surgery. Both trials, funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research, aim to save lives in Yorkshire and beyond.  

The baton was then passed to Yorkshire Cancer Research ambassador and former ITV Calendar presenter Christine Talbot, who carried it through Leeds in recognition of the early breakthroughs and the life-saving cancer treatments she received in the city after her own cancer diagnosis.

In 2012, during her 20-year career as main presenter at ITV Calendar, Christine was diagnosed with a fast-growing type of breast cancer. She was treated at St James’s Hospital and The Spire in Leeds where she had a partial mastectomy to remove the tumour and surrounding breast tissue, as well as eight rounds of chemotherapy and 15 rounds of radiotherapy.  

Christine said: “When I was diagnosed in 2012, I was live on TV every night and very much in the public eye. The support I received from colleagues and the public was overwhelming. It truly opened my eyes to the kindness of people. I still remember the nurses who cared for me; they and the wider cancer team were a safety net throughout my treatment.”  

She added: “So many women got in touch who were going through the same thing, asking me questions about treatment and what to expect. I was able to talk to them from a place of understanding. Cancer is not something you would ever wish on anyone, but it showed me a whole new level of generosity I didn’t know existed.”  

Receiving the baton at the University of Leeds held particular significance for Christine, as chemotherapy - first developed through early research in the city - formed a central part of her treatment.

In 1929, with the support of Yorkshire Cancer Research, a young scientist called Dr Isaac Berenblum discovered mustard gas could stop cancer tumours growing. This early finding helped lay the foundations for the development of chemotherapy; a treatment that has saved and extended the lives of millions of people worldwide.

When asked about why she is supporting the work of Yorkshire Cancer Research, Christine said: “Yorkshire has been my home for most of my life and its people mean a great deal to me. While it’s sad that survival rates are particularly low in this region, I believe the work being done here will continue to move us closer to a world where fewer lives are lost to cancer.”  

Christine joined charity supporters to carry the baton to the Queens Hotel – home of Yorkshire Cancer Research’s first fundraising appeal 100 years ago – where it was handed over to members of Active Leeds at Leeds City Council, who carried the baton as part of their community fundraising walk. The walk, led by Neil Jones, Workplaces Health and Wellbeing Lead at Leeds City Council, passed by some of the city’s most iconic landmarks and formed part of Council’s Leeds 400 initiative, a celebration of the 400th anniversary of Leeds receiving its first Royal Charter from King Charles I in 1626.

Neil then passed the baton to Yorkshire Cancer Research volunteer Karen Cretton, from Yeadon.

Alongside raising vital funds for life-saving cancer research, the We Walk for Yorkshire baton relay offers people with experience of cancer the opportunity to hold the baton for someone or something special to them. Each baton-bearer is invited to share the name of who they were walking for and place personal messages inside the baton as it continued its journey across the region.

For Karen, carrying the Baton for Yorkshire was a way to show support for her niece, Jade, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in February this year. 

Karen, who used to work in a primary school, was one of the first people to join the volunteer team at her local Yorkshire Cancer Research shop in Yeadon, keen to learn skills and make new friends while supporting life-saving cancer research in Yorkshire. Jade, who is 34 and a mum to two girls, also regularly visited the store to find high-quality, pre-loved clothing for her daughters.

Then, in February 2026, Jade was told she had a malignant phyllodes tumour, a rare form of breast cancer.

Karen said: “I love volunteering at the Yorkshire Cancer Research Yeadon shop. As soon as I met the shop team, I knew I was going to fit in. I also learnt more about how, in the 1970s, the breast cancer drug Tamoxifen was developed in part thanks to funding from the charity. Since Jade was diagnosed with breast cancer, it’s made the impact of what we do at the shop much more real.”

Karen and Jade regularly enjoy shopping and going out for coffee together. Now, while Jade recovers from her second cancer operation, they’ve signed up for this year’s We Walk for Yorkshire challenge.  

The pair have named themselves the “Blister Sisters” team, ready to step out in May with their three dogs. They also completed a leg of the Yorkshire Cancer Research Baton Relay in their hometown of Yeadon earlier in the week.   

Jade continued: “I would encourage other people to take part in We Walk for Yorkshire as the work Yorkshire Cancer Research does is amazing. It can change people’s lives; it already has, including my own.”

Karen added: “Yorkshire is such a lovely place to go walking. In Leeds especially, you can enjoy the best of both worlds by exploring the city centre and the countryside. There’s no excuse for not getting out and doing something positive, both for yourself and others!”

Sadly, people in Yorkshire are more likely to have their lives cut short by cancer than almost anywhere else in England. In Leeds, around 87 people are diagnosed with cancer each week and sadly, around 34 people die.

Finishing the Leeds leg was 34-year-old Stephen Jennings who carried the Baton for Yorkshire from Leeds to his hometown of Huddersfield to raise awareness of the importance of early diagnosis and the need for more research to detect cancers sooner. 

In 2022, Stephen was travelling in Jordan when he received a phone call from his doctor about the results of an ultrasound investigating ongoing abdominal pain. Further tests revealed a fast-growing 15cm mass in his abdomen, and following blood tests and a biopsy, he was diagnosed with stage 3 testicular cancer.

Stephen went on to undergo an intense course of treatment, including multiple rounds of chemotherapy at St James’s Hospital in Leeds, major surgery, and a procedure to fit a temporary stoma following complications. In May 2024, he was given the all-clear and now has regular tests and scans to monitor his health.  

Stephen said: “Mentally and physically, the time between my diagnosis and starting treatment was the toughest. I hadn’t been sleeping or eating properly for weeks, and the pain was so unbearable I could barely walk. Not being able to walk was frightening and showed me just how serious things had become. 

Following treatment, Stephen says his experience has had a lasting impact on his outlook on life and he now wants to share it to help make a difference to others.

He concluded: “One of the most meaningful moments for me came when someone told me my experience had encouraged their husband to go to the doctor and get a lump in his testicle checked. It turned out to be cancer, but thankfully it was caught early and he was successfully treated. Carrying the Baton for Yorkshire offers another opportunity to inspire people to get themselves checked and raise awareness that early diagnosis saves lives, all while raising funds for important cancer research in our region.”  

Yorkshire Cancer Research is funding £75m of vital cancer research and services to find new and better ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer in Yorkshire. These life-giving medical breakthroughs are helping more people live longer, healthier lives, free from cancer.

Dr Kathryn Scott, Chief Executive at Yorkshire Cancer Research, added: “Passing the baton through Leeds offered a special moment to reflect on the city’s rich history of life-saving cancer breakthroughs and recognise the vital work being carried out by experts today to develop new treatments and cures.

“Home to some of the world’s leading hospitals and universities, Leeds shows how continued investment in research drives new discoveries and progress that can go on to save more lives in the region and far beyond.