H T O L 10K RAISED FOR AMBER’S LAW
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HTOL Customer Relations team help raise almost 10k for Amber’s Law
Amber’s Law Walk
HTOL Customer Relations Team
Catherine & Ashleigh
In May last year, Catherine Baker from the HTOL customer relations team, was diagnosed with cervical cancer. Catherine underwent major surgery followed by an intense course of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and brachytherapy. Fortunately, the treatment went well, and once Catherine was feeling up to it, she decided to organise a fundraising event to raise money for local charity, Amber’s Law. The Amber’s Law project was launched in 2017 in memory of Amber Rose Cliff, who lost her fight with cervical cancer aged 25. Its aim is to get the Government to lower the cervical cancer screening age. Amber’s Law are pushing to lower the current smear test law from the age of 25 down to 18, which will give young women a better chance of detection and survival and hopefully stop the pain and heartache Amber and her friends and family went through. Amber went to the doctor multiple times and was refused a screening on all of these occasions because her age was below the NHS guidelines. Amber then went on to pay
South Shields to Roker Pier. The HTOL customer relations team and others from head office joined Catherine on the walk, helping to raise a total of £9,400. The event was organised with the help of Catherine’s best friend, Ashleigh Hackett, who runs local boot camps, ‘Can you Hackett?’ The event saw participants walk along the coastal path past Marsden Rock and Souter Lighthouse, finishing at Roker Pier. Catherine said: “We had such a great fun day. The charity gave all participants a t-shirt, there was a glitter face painter at the registration table, and a fun warmup routine with music playing. We ended at the Poetic License Bar, who kindly donated a function room and provided refreshments, and where we carried out a presentation of certificates and medals for everyone. “I am so grateful to all my team in the HTOL customer relations department who took part in the event with me, it was such a fun day for us all. As this was such a success we are definitely going to make it a yearly event.”
for a private screening at the age of 21 and found she had cervical cancer that had been there for 2-4 years already. Amber’s Law will fund any young females over the age of 18 to have a private smear if they are suffering symptoms and who have been refused a smear by their GP. Catherine said: “After being misdiagnosed for a number of years and being refused an early smear myself, I am absolutely shocked to learn how many people don’t attend smear appointments and ignore the warning signs. I am passionate about raising awareness of how one simple smear can save lives. “Earlier this year the Sunderland Echo revealed that more than 18,000 women in Sunderland missed their last smear test. This means that only 75.4% of the 73,200 women over 25 who were due a smear test before the end of March 2018 attended their potentially ‘live-saving’ appointment.” More than 140 people took part in Catherine’s fundraising event this June, completing an 11 kilometre walk from
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