Manchester Welcomes Family & Friends Of Dianne Oxberry

Family and friends of broadcaster Dianne Oxberry – who died on January 10 of Ovarian Cancer – are taking on the Simplyhealth Great Manchester Run to raise funds for the charity that has been set up in her name. 

Today (Weds 8th May) on World Ovarian Cancer day, her husband Ian Hindle officially launched The Dianne Oxberry Trust. The charity has already raised an incredible £57,000 from a Just Giving page alone, something that has both shocked and comforted Ian.

“Dianne was a BBC broadcaster for 30 years, starting at Radio 1 on the Breakfast Show with Simon Mayo and for the past 24 years as a weather presenter and journalist for regional news programming at BBC North West Tonight.

“Obviously I knew that she was incredibly popular, because you couldn’t get round the supermarket with her without being stopped two or three times from people who loved seeing her on their telly every night.

“Since she passed away, the outpouring of love and support from the public – most of whom never met her – has been utterly overwhelming.

“It became obvious that people wanted to do something with their collective grief so I started the JustGiving page with the idea of raising perhaps £1000 that we could then donate to an Ovarian Cancer charity, but it just went completely bonkers and the money started pouring in.

“That’s when I realised that there was an opportunity to perhaps help prevent other women from dying of this hideous disease. So, with the help of friends and family, I founded the Dianne Oxberry Trust and we’re on a mission to make a difference.”

The mission of the charity is to raise awareness, funds and hope. Awareness is the charities number one priority, in the form of educating women about the symptoms of Ovarian Cancer.

Ian explains, “Women have become aware that they need to be vigilant in monitoring their bodies with regards to Breast Cancer and Cervical Cancer, but Ovarian Cancer symptoms are sneaky and easy to dismiss – we want to change that. Obviously we’re keen to raise funds to support ongoing research and we want to offer hope to families – like mine – that have been devastated by Ovarian Cancer.”

The Trust’s first major fundraising event is the Simplyhealth Great Manchester Run on the 19th May, where Team DOT will have 80 runners, including Dianne’s friends and family participating. Donations can be made at  www.dianneoxberrytrust.org.