Mouth Cancer Awareness Walks
The 20th Mouth Cancer 5 KM, 10 KM and 20 KM Awareness Walks will take place on Saturday 20th September 2025 at Old Deer Park in Richmond Upon Thames.
To celebrate the charity turning 20 years old in 2025 the Mouth Cancer Awareness Walks will take on a new look. There will be a choice of 4 different routes to choose from.
The traditional Mouth Cancer 10 KM Awareness Walk will move to Old Deer Park in Richmond Upon Thames giving participants an exciting and brand-new route to look forward to.
From now on there will be a choice of distances, enthusiastic support to keep you motived as you march through the Ks and entertainment for all the family including a treasure hunt with prizes, face painting and our mascot Duke to keep the children entertained. The Mouth Cancer 5 KM Awareness Walk is family friendly and suitable for those who prefer to walk shorter distances.
If you like a challenge, why not walk or run our Mouth Cancer 20 KM Ultra Awareness Walk taking in a beautiful route along the River Thames and Richmond Riverside.
The Mouth Cancer 10 KM Awareness Walks from Home are growing in popularity so we are sticking with this fantastic opportunity to open up the walking events to more people than ever before. Dental Practices are getting particularly creative with how they walk during October and November so we’re challenging even more Dental Surgeries to sign up and get involved.
Join us to raise awareness and vital funds required in order to support and save and improve the lives of all head and neck cancer patients.
The Mouth Cancer Awareness Walks are open to everyone, including dogs, of any age and ability. On the day participants will receive a participant bib as well as a medal and goodie bag, at the end.
Venue
The Mouth Cancer 5 KM, 10 KM and 20 KM Awareness Walk on Saturday 20th September 2025 will start at 1200 at the site in Old Deer Park, Richmond Upon Thames. See map
Participants should arrive at 1100. We suggest you bring a light packed lunch and re-usable water bottle, (ideally not plastic), to have with you on the walk. There are 3 different routes for each of the 5, 10 and 20 K. All walks start after an introduction on the stage at approximately 1215. The event will finish at 1700 so there is plenty of time to enjoy the local area after your walk has ended. Plus we will have plenty of activities to keep you entertained this special anniversary year.
The Walk will be taking place in September so dress appropriately for the weather. Hopefully, the sun will be out; however, it is advisable to bring a rain coat and/or umbrella just in case.
There are some pay and display parking options in Old Deer Car Park and neighbouring Pools on the Park. Richmond Upon Thames also has great transportation links and the main station and buses on the high street are a 10 minute walk away.
To participate please register online as soon as possible so that we can send you further information in time for the event.
Mouth Cancer 10 KM Awareness Walk - From Home
The Mouth Cancer Awareness Walks in Old Deer Park on the 20th September will launch the Walk From Home Series.
Create a route, around your local area, with a total distance of 10 KM. This could be any combination such as 1 x 10 KM, 2 x 5 KM, 10 x 1 KM. The route can be done in one go, (10 KM is approximately 12500 steps and takes about one and a half to two hours to complete), or over several days. You can even set yourself challenges and do as many 10 KMs as you like over the duration of the event. Ideally this is a walk, but if you wish to run, walk backwards, hop, skip etc that is fine. The choice is yours! Just send us your photos and tag us in on social media – Instagram @mouthcancer, Facebook @mouthcancerfoundation and X @mouthcancerMCF
This is the only walk for mouth cancer anywhere in the world so the charity is encouraging as many people as possible to take part in this 10 KM sponsored walk between Wednesday 1st October and Sunday 30th November.
Walk a total of 10 KM, as many times as you like, on your own or with your family, friends and pets around the comfort of your own home, garden or local area. We are used to our Walk from Home participants getting quite creative with their routes and challenges so we look forward to seeing what you plan to get up to in 2025!
FAQs
What are the Mouth Cancer Awareness Walks?
The Mouth Cancer Awareness Walks are designed to increase awareness of mouth cancer, celebrate survivorship, create an opportunity to meet friends, remember lost dear ones, and also have a fun time!
The Mouth Cancer 5, 10 and 20 KM Awareness Walks will take place at Old Deer Park in Richmond Upon Thames on Saturday 20th September, which means once again, people can travel from all over the UK to take part.
If greater London is a step too far, then we are also excited to announce we will still run the Mouth Cancer 10 KM Awareness Walk from Home. This enables even more people to take part and walk a 10 KM route from the comfort of their own home, garden or local area. The charity is encouraging as many people as possible to take part during a 60-day time frame between Wednesday 1st October to Sunday 30th November 2025.
If you’re feeling fit you could even do both!
Who is allowed to take part?
The Mouth Cancer 10 KM Awareness Walk is open to everyone of all ages and all levels of fitness, from complete beginners to experienced athletes. Families, friends, and dogs are all permitted to join in!
Where can I register?
We recommend that you register your entry form as soon as possible so we can spread the word!
How much sponsorship money do I have to raise?
Head and Neck Cancer Patients and their families rely on the donations and support of charities such as the Mouth Cancer Foundation so we encourage everyone who takes part to fundraise. Even small donations go a long way to help. There is no minimum sponsorship requirement and there is no maximum – the sky really is the limit. At the very beginning we recommend that you set yourself a target of how much you are hoping to raise in sponsorship as this can help you to focus on your fundraising efforts. And if you exceed your fundraising target then so much the better!
Where should I send my sponsorship money to?
You have a legal responsibility to ensure that all sponsorship monies / donations received by you in connection with the Mouth Cancer Awareness Walks are sent to the Mouth Cancer Foundation, by 31st December 2025. It is best to create your own FREE online fundraising web page so that your sponsorship money can be received directly.
What is Mouth Cancer and what are the statistics?
This is the general term given to the variety of malignant head and neck tumours that develop in the mouth, (oral cavity). The Mouth Cancer Foundation promotes awareness of all head and neck cancers i.e. throat (pharynx), voice box (larynx), salivary glands, nose, nasal, sinuses, lips and skin.
For Mouth Cancer Facts and Figures visit – https://www.mouthcancerfoundation.org/mouth-cancer-facts-and-figures/
Visit www.mouthcancerfoundation.org for more information.
How do I reduce the risk of Mouth Cancer?
Risk Factors
- Tobacco use is considered the main cause of mouth cancer.
- Drinking alcohol to excess can increase the risk of mouth cancer four-fold.
- Drinkers and smokers are 30 times more likely to develop mouth cancer.
- Poor diet is linked to a third of all cancer cases.
- The Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), transmitted through oral sex, could overtake tobacco and alcohol as the main risk factor within the next decade.
- HPV causes 5% of all cancers.
- A life style which involves recreational drugs will increase the risk ?
- Exposure to the sun
Visit www.mouthcancerfoundation.org for more information.
What are the top 10 symptoms for Mouth Cancer?
Visit your dentist or doctor at once if you notice any abnormal problems or are not sure.
- A sore or ulcer in the mouth that does not heal within 3 weeks
- A lump or overgrowth of tissue anywhere in the mouth
- A white or red patch on the gums, tongue, or lining of the mouth
- Difficulty in swallowing, chewing or moving the jaw or tongue
- Numbness of the tongue or other area of the mouth
- A feeling that something is caught in the throat
- A chronic sore throat or hoarseness that persists more than 6 weeks
- Swelling of the jaw that causes dentures to fit poorly or become uncomfortable
- Neck swelling present for more than 3 weeks
- Unexplained tooth mobility persisting for more than 3 weeks
Visit www.mouthcancerfoundation.org for more information.
Where do I find out more about Mouth Cancer?
For more information, visit the Mouth Cancer Foundation website at www.mouthcancerfoundation.org.
Volunteer
The Mouth Cancer Awareness Walks are only possible with the help of volunteers. A lot of effort goes into putting on the Walks and the Charity needs lots of help and support to continue to make the days a huge success.
2025 is the 20th anniversary of the charity and once again, the Mouth Cancer Foundation is looking for reliable and pro-active individuals to volunteer at the Mouth Cancer Awareness Walk.
If you are free between 0800 and 1800 on Saturday 20th September 2025 and can get to Old Deer Park in Richmond Upon Thames, just outside London then we need you. This could be for all or part of the time. We need Volunteers to help out as follows:
Route Preparation
4 volunteers are required to meet at Old Deer Park at 0800 to mark out the route. Ideally with bikes, but on foot is fine too. There will be KM markers and symptoms boards to put out around the park and various arrows to set out to show participants the way. As soon as the route is set out volunteers can leave. We expect this will be around 1200.
Start and Finish Area
Volunteers in the start and finish area are responsible for setting up the event, signing in the participants and breaking down the event once it is over. They also hand out the medals and goodie bags at the end as participants make their way through the finish line. We are looking for 8 people who can attend the site between 0900 and 1800.
Route Marshals
We are hoping to have a total of 36 route marshals, working in groups of 4. Each group of 4 will be designated a KM marker point to stand at for the duration of the event. Route Marshals will need to arrive at the start and finish area at 1100 where they will be briefed and given a KM marker, (between 1 KM and 9 KM), symptoms board, selfie frame, treasure hunt information, bin bag, spare water and high vis jacket. Marshals will need to be in their location by 1200 and should be finished by1600, when they return to the start and finish area to return all their items and sign out. Route marshals often help derig the event in the start and finish area at the end.
Walking Volunteers
Walking volunteers get to walk the 10 K event with the participants. We are aiming to have 2 front, 4 middle and 2 rear walkers who put the participants at ease during the walk. All that is required is that you are fit enough to walk 10 KM and the rear walkers often pick up the arrows around the route and return them to the start and finish area.
Screening Unit
Any Dentists with experience at screening patients are welcome to help out in the mobile screening unit on the day.
All volunteers will be given a briefing. On the day they will be provided with a lunch box. Please bring a water bottle. The Mouth Cancer Awareness Walks are truly fantastic events and a great experience for everyone who takes part. For more information and to volunteer please email us info@mouthcancerfoundation.org.
