Runs to be held in tribute to Dr Moya, the amazing woman behind St Ann’s

DO you know about one of the most successful women who made great strides for better healthcare in Manchester? St Ann’s Hospice are celebrating their founder Moya Cole (pictured left) this International Women’s Day as they remember the origins of the charity.

The biggest hospice outside of London resides here in Greater Manchester and was founded by an incredible woman – Dr Moya Cole OBE.

St Ann’s are remembering Moya’s dedication by announcing their first ever Moya’s Manchester Walk, taking place this summer.

On Friday, June 14 hundreds of supporters of the hospice will be joining to take on either the 5km or 10km walk.

To sign up now go to www.sah.org.uk/mmw to secure your place in raising money for St Ann’s Hospice.

Dr Moya Cole OBE was one of the founders of the Heald Green hospice in Stockport back in 1971 and was also instrumental in the decision for St Ann’s to open a second hospice in Little Hulton in Salford in 1979.

Moya was born in 1918 and was originally from Cavan in Northern Ireland.

She was a massive trailblazer for women as well as a huge intellect – graduating with a BSc degree in physics from Queen’s University in Belfast in 1939 and earning an even more impressive MSc a year later.

This is a huge achievement for anyone, let alone for a young woman so many decades ago.

In 1950 she moved to Manchester and what was then the Christie Hospital and Holt Radium Institute, becoming a consultant in radiotherapy and oncology in 1955 and working there until 1983.

Among her many achievements was the fact that she was the first person to give Tamoxifen to patients as part of a clinical trial in the early 1960s, publishing many papers on breast cancer.

Aside from her ground-breaking work on breast cancer, it is also fair to say that without Moya Cole’s vision and determination there would be no St Ann’s Hospice.

Yet almost unbelievably not many people know her name and her founding role in the hospice’s history.

It was in 1967 that Moya and the then Bishop of Manchester, the Rt Rev Dr William Greer, had the idea for a hospice for the people of Greater Manchester.

Together, they worked for 18 months to win over businesses and the public to their cause.

Their efforts were successful. St Ann’s was founded in 1969 and the hospice in Heald Green was officially opened by the Queen Mother in 1971.

Within a few years, it was so successful that a second site was set up in Little Hulton in 1979.

Sarah Wolstenholme, events fundraiser at St Ann’s Hospice, said: “We owe the creation of St Ann’s Hospice to

Moya’s dedication and determination, so it seemed only fitting to name our new walk after her.

“We are so excited to take part in the first ever Moya’s Manchester Walk.

“We can’t wait to take to the streets with all our supporters to celebrate Moya’s life and to raise money for our brilliant hospice and have a fun-filled evening while we are doing it.”

To sign up now go to www.sah.org.uk/mmw or for more information you can ring 0161 498 3631 to speak to the events team.