EditorSWANSEA: Opticians team lace up for Race for Life in memory of colleague Chris who gave more than 20 years to the practice
A team from a Swansea opticians is taking on the Race for Life this Saturday in memory of a retired colleague who spent more than 20 years with the practice before losing her battle with cancer.
Stephen Evans Optometrists is based on Kings Road in the SA1 Waterfront area — one of Swansea’s most distinctive regenerated neighbourhoods, sitting on the eastern edge of the city centre alongside the marina that the Race for Life course will take runners past on Saturday.
Six members of staff will line up for the Swansea 5K Race for Life on 17 May, with the course starting at Museum Green before heading towards the coast and along the marina.
The team is raising money for Cancer Research UK — a cause that carries deep personal meaning. Their retired colleague Chris Radford, who was part of the team for over two decades, died from cancer, and many of the six runners carry their own personal experiences of the disease.
Stephen Evans, optometrist and founder of the practice, said the event had brought the team together in a way that felt meaningful.
“We have a very diverse mix of experience amongst the team but everybody has been eager to take on the challenge,” he said. “It’s been a really nice way to unite us in practice; it’s been a key topic of conversation and created quite a bit of buzz, and I’m sure on the day we’ll all be spurring each other on.”
He added that being able to channel something positive from so much pain would make crossing the finish line all the more significant.
“To be able to bring some positivity around something that has had such a huge impact on the entire team and unfortunately the lives of so many others, will be incredibly rewarding,” he said.
The race will not be new territory for all of the team. Some completed the Race for Life back in 2015, and members of the group have previously taken on charity bike rides, sea swimming and late-night MoonWalks. Others have been training specifically for Saturday’s 5K, motivated by the chance to get outdoors and improve their fitness ahead of the event.
Evans said the team’s connection with the outdoors and nature ran through everything they did together as a practice.
“We’re generally very nature-driven,” he said. “It can really help, not just to complete 5Ks but also to improve mental wellbeing, which is also really important to us as a team. There are endless benefits just from getting outdoors and keeping active, supporting each other, and fostering the strong sense of community we already have.”
Cancer affects roughly one in two people in the UK. Survival rates have doubled over the last 40 years, with research efforts making significant advances in treating more than 200 different variations of the disease — but the impact it has on families and those closest to patients remains profound.
The Swansea Race for Life draws hundreds of participants each year, with runners and walkers of all abilities taking on the 5K course together. The Museum Green start point puts the route right in the heart of the city before opening out along the waterfront — a fitting backdrop for a team whose practice sits just metres from the same stretch of marina.
Cancer Research UK funds scientific research aimed at improving treatments and understanding the disease more deeply, with the goal of beating cancer sooner.
You can donate to the Stephen Evans Optometrists team at fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/team/stephen-evans-optometrists.
Related stories from Swansea Bay News
Cancer Research UK coverage from Swansea Bay News
All our stories involving Cancer Research UK fundraising and campaigns.
Race for Life stories from Swansea Bay News
Our coverage of Race for Life events across the region.
