Charterhouse School in Surrey and the family of Charlie Hunt – Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s brother, who died from sarcoma cancer last year – have teamed up with Sarcoma UK to raise awareness of the devastating disease.
Charlie Hunt died in August last year aged 53, three years after being diagnosed with spindle cell sarcoma, an ultra-rare type of cancer that accounts for just six out of every 10,000 cancer diagnoses in the UK. Although an uncommon cancer, 15 people are diagnosed with sarcoma every day in the UK.
Charlie’s wife Thandi, his sister Susie and his brother Jeremy have since been leading various events and activities to raise funds for research into ultra-rare sarcomas.
Charlie attended Charterhouse and at their recent prize-giving ceremony a trophy was announced in his name: The Charlie Hunt Running Prize. The prize is awarded to a pupil who inspires others through their love of running. The first person to receive the prize this year was pupil Jeremy West.
The prize also includes a ticket to take part in next year’s TCS London Marathon, which Jeremy West says he plans to run. Charlie was a passionate runner at Charterhouse. His love of running and adventure continued throughout his life, including running the London Marathon several times.
Charterhouse has also launched a sarcoma awareness campaign at its health centre with the hope that more people will learn about the rare disease, which is often unheard of, even in the medical community.
Edward Hadley, Head of Cross Country at Charterhouse, said: ‘Charlie Hunt is spoken of as someone whose running and generosity of character was an inspiration both at Charterhouse and beyond. By celebrating his love for running and raising awareness about sarcoma, we hope to create a lasting legacy for Charlie that will inspire generations to come.’
Charlie’s sister Susie said: ‘As a family, we are keen to help save lives by spreading awareness of sarcoma through the celebration of Charlie’s life and running, which is what Charlie loved. His love for running started right here at Charterhouse. We want to give as many people as possible a chance to understand and be aware of sarcoma and to go and get checked for it.’
Sarcoma UK’s Director of Communications, Kerry Reeves-Kneip, said: ‘Charterhouse is setting an exemplary standard for how educational institutions can raise awareness about sarcoma, and we are deeply grateful for their support. We are also indebted to the Hunt family for their unwavering dedication in helping us raise awareness and vital funds for research into ultra-rare sarcoma.’
