MOVE’s Mission: To support and inspire people diagnosed with cancer to Move Against Cancer because Movement matters 

MOVE charity was founded by international athlete Gemma Hillier-Moses. Gemma was diagnosed with stage 3 Burkett’s lymphoma, a rare form of cancer, in 2012 at the age of 24. She was told to rest and was not given any advice or help about exercising and cancer.

Gemma founded MOVE charity in 2016 to provide something she never got herself: Access to free, professional advice and support on how to literally Move Against Cancer. Initially, the focus was to provide support and inspiration to children and young people living with cancer through our cancer rehabilitation support programme. The charity then evolved to provide other organisations and charities with resources and workshops, as well as our team speaking at conferences, on the benefits of movement and exercise when living with and beyond cancer.

Enter Lucy Gossage, oncologist and ex-professional triathlete, one of the few in the health care professional realm that championed the benefits behind exercising with and beyond cancer to her colleagues and patients. However, Lucy found there was no platform to signpost them to. A few months of blood, sweat and tears later, 5k Your Way Move Against Cancer initiative was born as our third and final pillar of work. 

“There is now persuasive evidence that a healthy lifestyle during and after cancer is associated with improved physical and psychological well-being, reduced risks of treatment, enhanced self-esteem, reduced risk of recurrence, and improved survival.” The National Cancer Survivorship Initiative (NCSI), 2013

Many cancer patients receive long, tough courses of treatment. During treatment they do little other than sit in their hospital room and after treatment are offered little to help them regain their fitness. 5k Your Way offers an avenue for health care professionals to signpost patients towards activity in a safe, welcoming, supportive and empowering environment. Equally, we hope the initiative will encourage health care professionals to increase their own activity levels alongside their patients.

Exercise is a ‘wonder-drug’ and if it were a pill everyone would be taking it; social prescribing clearly works, unfortunately, it is not on the top of many health care professional’s lists. We support these professionals to encourage their patients to exercise, and to inform relatives that it is in fact harming their loved one by wrapping them in cotton wool and waiting on them hand and foot.

MOVE Charity has 3 areas of work: 

- Online virtual cancer rehab programme for children and young people living with and beyond cancer. This is delivered by experience cancer rehab instructors who work one to one with young people to help build their quality of life, strength and well being after a cancer diagnosis. 

- Our  5k Your Way initiative is linked to parkrun's across the UK and Ireland and is we encourage and support those living with and beyond cancer to walk, jog, run, cheer or volunteer with their 5k Your Way group at their local parkrun event on the last Saturday of every month. We create an opportunity for these individuals to be part of an active community alongside their family, friends and those working in cancer services. This will help them all achieve the recommended guidelines for physical activity and improve overall wellbeing.

- Create resources and information about the benefits of exercise, physical activity and movement in relation to cancer. We have just launched our first podcast MOVE Against Cancer with incredible guests including Paula Radcliffe and her daughter Isla who was diagnosed with cancer in 2020. We also have delivered workshops and live Question and Answer sessions over the last year during the pandemic. 

Our goal is to provide services and a  community which inspires and empowers people to live an active and fulfilling life despite a cancer diagnosis. We hope to break down traditional barriers regarding inactivity and provide an accepted avenues, in community settings, for health care professions to signpost patients towards.