Striking Charity Installation - Leigh-on-Sea

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Leigh On Sea News: Striking Charity Installation – A LEIGH resident has added to a striking charity installation with a dedication to her father.

Striking Charity Installation - A LEIGH resident has added to a striking charity installation with a dedication to her father.

Leigh On Sea News: Striking Charity Installation – A LEIGH resident has added to a striking charity installation with a dedication to her father.

A LEIGH resident has added to a striking charity installation with a dedication to her father.

Hannah Preedy attended the unveiling of Shoes of Hope by Pancreatic Cancer UK, having donated trainers to the piece in honour of her father Chris, who died just five weeks after diagnosis.

The poignant installation at Potters Fields Park features 797 running shoes, including the pair Hannah donated, with a dedication that read: “In memory of Dad, because everyone with pancreatic cancer deserves to have hope”.

Hannah also took on the 2025 TCS London Marathon in Chris’s memory, with the money raised going towards vital research into early detection.

Pancreatic Cancer UK was also the Charity of the Year for the Marathon, and the Shoes of Hope installation was unveiled by Tony Audenshaw (Emmerdale), who also took on the marathon this year in memory of his wife, Ruth, who died from the disease in 2017.

Ms Preedy, 33 said: “I have taken the marathon on once before for dad, but it was the hottest on record and I really struggled. I always thought I had unfinished business. A decade later, when I heard who Charity of the Year for 2025 was, it was like a sign from him.

“I hope by being part of the marathon and Shoes of Hope, I can raise awareness of the symptoms, and seriousness, of this cancer.

“People are so often diagnosed too late, like dad. If we could get something like the breath test out there, it would change so many lives. It would give people the option of treatment rather than just being told there’s nothing we can do.”

Ms Preedy’s trainers joined pairs contributed by celebrities Richard Armitage, Alison Steadman, Ainsley Harriott, Olivia Williams, Joseph Fiennes, Amir Khan, and Georgia Toffolo.

The display coincides with new research from Pancreatic Cancer UK revealing a stark lack of awareness about the disease.

The survey found 70% of people fail to recognise the symptoms, such as changes in bowel habits, indigestion, and back pain, which often go unnoticed due to the absence of early detection tests.

Tragically, more than half of those diagnosed die within three months.

Pancreatic Cancer UK has launched an open letter calling on governments across the UK to commit at least £35 million annually to pancreatic cancer research for the next 20 years.

Visit www.pancreaticancer.org.uk/save-lives-now/ and sign the open letter.

Pictures: Hannah Preedy with her donated shoes & with her father Chris.

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