A FAMILY have signed up to Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life in York in memory of their beloved dad - who died earlier this year.

Twins Tom and Mark Burke, 21, from Selby, will be joined by their big sister Maxine Lawton, 31, in leading a team at York Racecourse, on Sunday September 11.

The family decided to raise funds for life-saving research after their dad, Mark, was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer in March 2021.

The brothers, who are joiners by day, ran a sponsored 5K race following his diagnosis and got national praise for their entertaining videos on social media of their training and progress.

Despite describing themselves as “not your average runners” and “being quite big lads”, they caught the attention of radio DJ Chris Moyles who kept sharing their training progress with his audience and helped them raise thousands of pounds.

Maxine, who works at Selby College, said: “Originally, we set ourselves the goal of raising £530 through the sponsored 5K run, which worked out at £10 for every year of dad’s life. Thanks to everyone’s generosity we were able to surpass our target raising more than £21,000.

"Sadly, we lost our dad in January of this year, but thanks to the help of Cancer Research UK and the fundraising, we were able to do so many things together as a family and make lasting memories."

They are using their latest fundraising venture to offer motivational pep talks on social media to encourage more people to get involved.

One in two people in the UK born after 1960 will get cancer in their lifetime - and money raised at Race for Life enables scientists to find new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer - helping to save more lives. 

Maxine said: “We’re proud to Race for Life for our dad and for everyone who is facing cancer right now. We hope that together we can prove a mighty force against cancer.

"We all have a reason to Race for Life and after everything that this year has thrown at our family, we understand all too clearly why Cancer Research UK’s work is so vital.”

Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life, in partnership with Tesco, is a series of 3k, 5k, 10k, Pretty Muddy and Pretty Muddy Kids events which raise millions of pounds every year to help beat cancer.

Michaela Robinson-Tate, Cancer Research UK’s spokesperson in North Yorkshire, said: “We are incredibly grateful to the Burke family for their continued support.

“Our Race for Life events are open to all. We’re looking forward to welcoming people of all ages and abilities. Race for Life York will be fun, emotional, colourful, uplifting and an unforgettable event this year.”