A pioneering new cancer research study has been launched in Manchester in the memory of the late Sarah Harding.
The BCAN-RAY (Breast Cancer Risk Assessment in Young Women) has been set up following the former Girls Aloud star’s dying wish to find new ways to spot the signs of the disease earlier, and stop it cutting lives like hers short.
Sarah Harding sadly passed away from breast cancer aged 39 back in September 2021, just over a year after publicly announcing her diagnosis was terminal.
The innovative study has been made possible through funding from The Christie Charity, Cancer Research UK, and the Sarah Harding Breast Cancer Appeal with support from Sarah’s family, friends and Girls Aloud bandmates – who, through various fundraising initiatives, have together raised over £1 million to date.
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Research @TheChristieNHS aims to identify the factors that make some young women more at risk from breast cancer than others.
This research is funded in memory of Girls Aloud star #SarahHarding, who was treated at The Christie.
“Research is incredibly important in the fight against cancer,” Harding said before her death in 2021.
“Although this research may not be in time to help me, this project is incredibly close to my heart as it may help women like me in the future.”
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BCAN-RAY will be one of the first research studies in the world to identify new ways to predict the risk of younger women getting breast cancer, and it’s being launched right here in Greater Manchester – with its first participant being local healthcare assistant, 33-year-old Catherine Craven-Howe, who is from Hale in Trafford.
The new study has been launched as it’s revealed that more than 150 women are diagnosed with breast cancer every day in the UK, and nearly a fifth of all cases are women who are under 50, and most of who don’t have a family history of the disease.
The Christie in Manchester, where Sarah Harding was treated / Credit: The Christie
Despite it being the most common cause of death in women aged 30-55 years, there is currently no routine screening programme for early breast cancer in younger women who don’t have family history of the disease.
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BCAN-RAY – which is taking place at The Nightingale Centre at Wythenshawe Hospital – will look at risk factors that are most commonly found in women diagnosed with breast cancer in their 30s.
Based on those risk factors, scientists will build a model that can identify which women are most at risk in the hopes that their findings will enable all women to have a risk assessment for breast cancer when they reach the age of 30.
Those women identified as high risk could then have access to early screening and opportunities for prevention, to reduce the chances of them developing and potentially dying from the disease.
The study involves recruiting 1,000 women aged between 30 and 39 years old.
250 will be women diagnosed with breast cancer with no family history of the disease, who will be studied alongside 750 women in the same age group who have not had breast cancer, and who also have no family history of the disease.
The 2027 World Climbing Series is coming to Manchester
Danny Jones
In yet more huge sporting news for Greater Manchester, the 2027 World Climbing Series is coming to 0161 later this year.
We’ve had plenty of big peaks of late, but things seem to just keep going up and up.
Set to host the global event for the first time in our history, Manchester will welcome the World Climbing Series (WCS), which is set to include both Olympic and Paralympic disciplines ahead of the next Summer Games in 2028.
2027 will mark the 38th edition of the series, which will also be one of only a handful to be held in the North – it’s just down to our city to make it the best.
Officially announced on Friday, 16 January, the British Mountaineering Council (BMC) confirmed the return to the UK.
Founded back in 1989, the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) is coming up on four decades since the competition first began – Leeds being chosen as the inaugural hosts – the event has come a long way since then.
The IFSC’s rebranding of the annual bouldering, lead and speed trials to the modern WSC, which began last year, was initially revealed back in 2023.
Welcoming continental talent right down to the youth level, the upcoming 2026 World Climbing Series is taking place in the summer and will be hosted by the city of Innsbruck in Austria.
As for the WSC’s Manchester debut, which is being organised in collaboration with the City Council, Manchester Accommodation BID, MCR Active and the National Lottery via UK Sport investment.
It’s not the only big sporting celebration that the Council will be supporting in 2027.
Paul Ratcliffe, CEO of the British Mountaineering Council, said in an official statement: “It’s exciting to be able to confirm that a World Series climbing event will return to the UK in 2027 as part of the BMC’s major event programme.
“Hosting a competition of this scale in Manchester is a strong statement about the UK’s place on the international climbing stage and a great opportunity for our athletes, fans, the climbing community and the wider public to experience the sport at the very highest level.
“Our ‘Route to Adventure’ strategy sets out how we will build on moments like this to support people into climbing and help them progress, whatever their starting point. Using major events to inspire participation, strengthen pathways and reinforce our commitment to inclusion is central to our long-term approach.”
Scheduled to take place in June, you can find out more information about the 2027 World Climbing Series in Manchester by signing up for the official event mailing list HERE.
The Tour de France is coming to Manchester
Danny Jones
It’s official: both the male and female Tour de France are coming to Greater Manchester and nine other destinations across the UK in 2027.
As one of the biggest locations on the list, it’s another big sporting landmark for us Mancs.
Confirmed on Thursday, 15 January, the men’s race and the Tour de France Femmes (TdFF) will be passing through our region next summer.
Revealing the news in an exciting announcement video on social media, you can see the other cities and towns that the world-famous endurance event will be hitting here:
With Greater Manchester boasting not only the National Cycling Centre, but having already hosted the Tour of Britain – which has passed through Altrincham on multiple ocassions – we’re well-versed when it comes to the sport.
It’s been more than a decade since the Tour de France last took place in the UK, with London and Yorkshire hosting three stages of the biggest date on the annual cycling calendar back in 2014.
Fast forward a dozen years, and not only will they both be participating again, but Great Britain will see dual Grand Départs for men and women for the very first time.
Not only are we buzzing that the racing will be returning to our friends in Leeds and Sheffield, but also nice to see other Northern regions lending their roads and stunning landscapes, such as the Lake District and wider parts of Cumbria.
You can see the full route map broken down below.
🇬🇧 Leeds, Manchester, Sheffield, London 🇬🇧
💛 Grand Départ Great Britain 2027: in the footsteps of the pioneers!
— Le Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift (@LeTourFemmes) January 15, 2026
Speaking in an official press release, race director Christian Prudhomme said: “The UK has always welcomed the Tour with passion and pride, and the route details we are revealing today reflect the beauty and diversity of Britain’s terrain.”
“Bringing both Grand Départs here is a testament to the strength of our partnership with British Cycling and the enthusiasm of the UK.”
TdFF counterpart, Marion Rousse, added: “The UK has played an important role in the history of women’s cycling, with champions such as Lizzie Deignan.
“Starting the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift in Leeds is a strong choice, closely linked to this heritage and to the enthusiasm of a public that knows and loves the Tour. These stages clearly reflect the race’s ambition: to continue growing women’s cycling and to inspire future generations.”
Emily Sergeant -
27th June 2023 
