A charity researcher whose work to bring much-needed new treatments to patients with cancer is calling on local people to Walk All Over Cancer and help raise money for vital research.

Dr Shamim Kazmi-Stokes, from Holcombe, is a Cancer Research UK drug development scientist – helping to foster and assess new therapies for cancer patients. Her crucial work on personalised medicine for patients is based on their unique DNA, aiming to identify what are the right therapies for the right patients.

Shamim’s other passion is mountain hiking, and she has raised money for Cancer Research UK by walking 100 miles of the Great Wall of China and also trekking in Kilimanjaro. She is encouraging people to sign up now and get sponsored to walk 10,000 steps a day in March and join the Walk All Over Cancer initiative.

In her role, she works closely with hospitals and trials to help accelerate potential drugs to get from the lab to the bedside. Shamim explains: “I am involved in personalised medicine in which we try and identify which drugs work better in some patients than others, based on their own genetic make-up. This work goes on in hospitals and universities nationwide, including closer to home here in Bath, Bristol and in Plymouth.

“I work with a team of 120 scientists and staff at the CRUK Centre for Drug Development to translate promising ideas into novel therapies for patients; including antibodies, imaging agents and vaccines, which hopefully means that more patients receive effective drugs.”

“In my spare time, I do like to get outdoors and walk my dog, Ruby, who keeps me fit and heathy, and although she is getting on in years, she loves to go for a daily ramble around the local fields here in Holcombe.

“It’s up to you how, where and when you take your 10,000 steps. You can take on the Walk All Over Cancer challenge on your own, or with family, friends and colleagues.”

In the South West, almost a quarter (22 per cent) of people are getting less than thirty minutes of physical activity a week. Alison Birkett, Cancer Research UK’s spokesperson for Somerset, said: “Signing up to Walk All Over Cancer is a great way to kick-start a healthier lifestyle, now that Spring is just around the corner.

She added: “Walking 10,000 steps is equal to about five miles, based on the average person’s strides. That’s quite a challenge for many people. But adopting small lifestyle changes – from walking to work or taking the stairs instead of the lift – can help make the goal feel achievable.”

“Not only will taking on the challenge help raise money, it has health benefits as well.

Everyone who gets sponsored to go those extra miles will be making a real difference.

“Cancer survival has doubled since the early 1970s and Cancer Research UK’s work has been at the heart of that progress – but every step our doctors, nurses and scientists take relies on donations from the public and the tireless fundraising of our supporters.”

To sign up now, visit: www.cruk.org/walkallover