What’s On In April

It is time for April showers and the occasional glimmer of what could be summer as we head in to the fourth month of 2012 but what is happening in the month and what should you be checking out? Well there is a lot on and, weather reliant, it should be a great month to get outdoors and enjoy the spring.

One of the bigger events happening in London this month is the London Marathon. This event appears to be getting bigger and bigger every year. It is a fantastic event that sees both top world professionals pushing their limits alongside a guy in a chicken costume raising money for a worthy cause. The fundraising side of the marathon is truly awe inspiring the record for individual sponsorship money raised is held by Steve Chalke, the founder of the Oasis Trust, he managed to raise a staggering £2.32 million in 2011. The London Marathon was first run in 1981 and since its creation there have been a group of runners known as the “Ever-Presents”,who have completed in each of the London Marathons since 1981. By 2011 their number had shrunk to 18. As of 2012, the oldest runners amongst them are 78 year old Kenneth Jones and Jeffrey Gordon, whilst the youngest runner is 53-year-old ultra-runner and father of 3 Chris Finill. Entry is closed for this year but if you are in London it’s a good day to go and cheer on all the competitors and perhaps think about entering next year. Check out the video below to see the course as seen through Google street view.

If fundraising is your thing then you might like to focus on cancer awareness, April sees the a focus on bowel cancer. Bowel cancer occurs due to an unhealthy lifestyle and increasing age with only a minority of cases associated with underlying genetic disorders. It typically starts in the lining of the bowel and if left untreated, can grow into the muscle layers underneath, and then through the bowel wall. The classic warning signs include: worsening constipation, blood in the stool, weight loss, fever, loss of appetite, and nausea or vomiting in someone over 50 years old. It is important that people attend screenings should any of these symptoms occur and even if younger than 50 it is important to get checked out. It is treatable, and, as with most cancers, the earlier it is found the better. In early stages surgery is curative if the cancer is localised, if it has spread then chemotherapy and radiation may be the only form of treatment.We put together a handy little PDF booklet that looks at symptoms, treatments and awareness you can have a look and share it here.

Moving on to something a little more upbeat this month also heralds Earth Day. Earth Day is observed on April 22 and was started in the United States in 1970 by Senator Gaylord Nelson to create awareness for the Earth’s environment and to encourage conservation efforts. In 1990, Earth Day went international, and today, more than 500 million people in 175 countries observe Earth Day. The idea is to let people know about what acts of environmentalism you will carry out to help make the world a better place. This could be as small as turning off the lights when they are not in use or to organising a rally to help raise awareness. Each action, no matter how small, will go towards a much bigger effort of collecting a billion green pledges to show world leaders that action is needed on environmental issues. Check out the video for more info.

And finally, looking to our friends Down Under, ANZAC Day is on the 25th of April. This a memorial day for all of the Australian and New Zealand army corps who fought in World War One. It also commemorates all those who died and served in military operations for their countries worldwide. It is a National holiday and is viewed as a very solemn day with dawn services and veteran parades as people remember the sacrifice that were made for country.

There are other events occuring over the month of April, if you have any that you are particularly fond of or think need to be noticed then please let us know in the comments section.

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