Bath baker Duncan Glendinning is swapping his oven gloves for boxing gloves all in the name of charity this weekend, helping to raise vital funds for Cancer Research UK.
The challenging boxing bout comes to Bath for the first time this Saturday, which has just passed the £6 million fundraising mark for Cancer Research UK.
Ultra White Collar Boxing (UWCB) events take place in 100 towns and cities across the UK and brings the fight against cancer from the science lab to the boxing ring.
Duncan, 34, who runs the Thoughtful Bread Company on Barton Street, is used to long hours and hot conditions, but getting into boxing has given him a much needed fitness boost he confesses.
“My job is stressful, and it’s tough to admit but I did spend every evening not at work happily ploughing through a bottle of wine.
“So UWCB gave me the motivation to kick the booze – I train at Gracie Barra Bath and haven’t had a single drink since my first day of training – and work on my fitness, and whilst at first every single inch of my body ached, I feel so much better for the training.
Duncan added: “Everyone knows someone who is affected by cancer these days. When I was younger it felt like an “older person’s disease” but it seems that cancer does not discriminate these days.
“I have a very, very close friend of mine who is terminally ill, my wife lost her father to cancer, and the list goes on. So, given the opportunity to do something positive I jumped at it.”
The fundraising phenomenon is raising up to £16,000 a day for the charity nationwide.
Events take place across the country on the same weekend and give people with no boxing experience the opportunity to train as a boxer in a safe and enjoyable environment, while raising money for Cancer Research UK.
At the end of the training participants are matched with an opponent from their group to take part in a competitive three round bout at a black tie event in front of hundreds of supporters.
Those competing in the Bath event will take to the ring at the Bath Pavillion on 17th December.
UWCB, which was founded in 2009 in Derby, began fundraising for the charity in 2013 and is now on course to raise £10million by the end of 2017 and have 350 events taking place in 100 different cities across the UK.
Bouts are restricted to a maximum of three rounds of two minutes, with one-minute intervals, and fully accredited medics are always in attendance.
Emma Hallas, senior account executive for Cancer Research UK said: “The amount of money raised by UWCB is incredible.
“We work closely with UWCB to ensure all the participants hear about the work we are doing and the top five UWCB fundraisers on JustGiving are invited to a tour of our labs to see exactly how their money is spent.”
Cancer Research UK is the world’s leading cancer charity dedicated to saving lives through research.
It receives no government funding and every step it makes towards beating cancer relies on every pound donated by people like the UWCB participants.
Through the work of over 4,000 scientists, doctors and nurses, today 2 in 4 people survive their cancer for at least 10 years and Cancer Research UK’s ambition is to accelerate progress so that by 2034, 3 in 4 people will survive cancer for at least 10 years.
To find out more about UWCB or if you’d like to take part visit www.ultrawhitecollarboxing.co.uk. To sponsor Duncan, visit: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/DuncanGlendinning.