THE GUARDTECH GROUP have donated £500 to a dedicated Synovial Sarcoma Fund within Sarcoma UK – a charity that funds vital research into a rare cancer – as part of a fundraising walk by a much-loved member of their team.

IT & Systems Manager Elliott Sheppard lost his daughter Isobel to the disease three years ago and has since created a platform to raise awareness of Synovial Sarcoma called Isobel's Legacy.

Elliott took part in the 25km Thames Bridge Trek earlier this month to raise vital funds and, at the last count, The Isobel Sheppard Legacy Fund had raised £915 for Sarcoma UK – 332% of the initial target.

There are two research projects that the fundraising efforts are supporting specifically – one that will develop an innovative method of drug delivery specifically for Synovial Sarcoma, led by Professor Amin Hajitou at Imperial College London.

The second, which is being steered by Dr Nezha Benabdallah at the University of Edinburgh, will identify genomic features of Synovial Sarcoma that could provide new treatment targets.

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Elliott, who thanked colleagues for their support, as well as the company for their "incredibly generous" donation, said: "After a two-year battle, our 15-year-old daughter Isobel lost her life to cancer in December 2022. One of her final wishes was that any fundraising in her name went into raising awareness and funding research for Synovial Sarcoma.

"My wife Sam and I have therefore joined other families affected by this terrible disease to form a dedicated Synovial Sarcoma Fund within Sarcoma UK. I will continue to raise as much as I can – the Thames Bridges Trek is the warm-up to a much bigger challenge I have planned for 2026."

Isobel's uncle, Guardtech Projects Director Conor Barwise, shared Elliott's sentiments, praising the Guardtech family for coming together at moments when it mattered most, adding: "I'm honoured that the business could be involved in supporting a cause so dear to many of our hearts. Elliott and Sam have done an amazing job so far in raising vital awareness and funds and we will continue to support all their efforts in the future to help make a tangible difference to families affected by this rare cancer."

For more information on Isobel's Legacy, visit isobelslegacy.co.uk/. If you'd like to make a donation to the Isobel Sheppard Legacy Fund, visit: www.justgiving.com/page/esheppard.

For more information on the Guardtech Group, email sales@guardtech.com, call 0330 113 0303 or visit www.guardtechgroup.com.