Ipswich to walk again for Hope to Connect this September

Why it matters: The Global Cancer Hope Walk, taking place on Friday, 11 September, and Saturday, 12 September, is the first major Hope to Connect event since co-founder Emma Adams died on Wednesday, 29 April 2026, after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023.

The details: Hope to Connect describes the walk as a global event, with people invited to take part from wherever they are in the world – a local park, beach, city street or favourite walking route. Organisers say the event is already attracting participants from across the UK and around the world, including Ohio, California, Sierra Leone, Brighton, Northampton and Felixstowe.

• In Ipswich, participants are asked to meet at the Margaret Catchpole pub, Cliff Lane, at 10:00 for teas and coffees, before walking together to Holywells Park at 10:30.
• The overall goal is to walk five kilometres, though organisers say there is no pressure to complete the full distance, with a variety of routes available to suit different walking abilities.
• Registration costs £10 for adults, £5 for children, with infants going free.
• Ten per cent of profits from the event will go to selected cancer charities, with the remainder supporting Hope to Connect's ongoing work and the development of its platform.
• Special edition Global Cancer Hope Walk 2026 T-shirts, available in various cancer awareness colours, can be bought via the Hope to Connect online store.
• Registered participants will receive a digital participation certificate for taking part in the first-ever Global Cancer Hope Walk.
• The Ipswich walk is being supported by sponsor Fleximize, Tesco, and the Margaret Catchpole pub, which is hosting participants.

For businesses: Friday, 11 September is being offered as a dedicated employee wellbeing day, with companies invited to register teams or encourage staff to walk from different locations. Organisers say it is a chance to "prioritise connection, compassion, mental wellbeing and hope" for colleagues living with cancer, caring for someone with the illness, or grieving a loved one.

What they're saying: Hope to Connect was founded in March 2025 by Emma Adams and Mandeep Birdy, after Emma – who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023 – experienced what she described as the loneliness of living with the disease. Speaking to this publication earlier this year, she said building the organisation had given her purpose. "Even though it's all about cancer, it's not about my cancer – it's about helping other people. And I feel like that's rewarded me," she said.

Paying tribute to Emma after her death, Mandeep said: "It has been such an honour to walk side by side with Emma this past year on a shared purpose. Even when she became too poorly to be as involved as she wanted to be during the final weeks of her life, it was still such a joy to see that sparkle in her eyes during our catch-ups and the pride she felt in what we were creating together."

She added: "It has been a privilege to bring Hope to Connect to life with Em and to walk these first footsteps beside her. I will miss Em in every moment while continuing Hope to Connect."

Speaking about the walk, Mandeep said: "Cancer can be incredibly lonely. Even when you're surrounded by people, it can feel as though no one truly understands what you're carrying, whether you're living with the diagnosis yourself or you're supporting a loved one. I co-founded Hope to Connect with my dear friend Emma Adams because we both understood that feeling. Emma had stage four breast cancer when we met, and I had experienced the heartbreak of losing people I loved to cancer."

Mandeep's best friend died from cervical cancer in 2020. "Our mission is simple," she said. "No one with cancer should ever have to feel alone again."

For context: In April, Emma and Mandeep helped break a Guinness World Record at Trinity Park, with 891 people signing a cancer awareness ribbon in eight hours – a UK first. The event raised more than £2,500 for five cancer charities: the Harley James Reynolds Fund, Cancer Support Suffolk, Aoibheann's Pink Tie, Manchester Foundation Trust Charity, and The Swallows Head and Neck Cancer Support Group.

Guinness World Records adjudicator Joanne Brent, who verified the record on the day, said: "It was incredibly powerful to verify 891 individual names, each representing a person and their own story."

The bottom line: For Hope to Connect, September's walk is both a continuation of the community Emma and Mandeep built together and a step towards the app the pair set out to create – a project Mandeep has vowed to see through in memory and celebration of all those touched by cancer.

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