News story
26 February 2026
A group of hospital staff from Addenbrooke’s was taken this week for a special ‘sneak preview’ of the construction site of the new Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital – with one of them describing the visit as ‘deeply moving’.
The group of eight are part of a bigger team of 30 hospital staff from Addenbrooke’s who are running this year’s TTP Cambridge Half Marathon for Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust (ACT) to raise funds for the groundbreaking new cancer hospital.
The 30 hospital staff make up a total of 200+ runners who are running for ACT in this year’s half marathon on Sunday 8th March. Last year, 200 runners running for the hospital charity raised an impressive £150,000 for the new hospital – with the charity saying they would be ‘over the moon’ if they could beat that figure this year.
As the official hospital charity for Addenbrooke’s, Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust (ACT), funds cutting-edge equipment, specialist staff, extra comforts and vital research to fund potential cures and help save lives, above and beyond what the NHS can provide. ACT is also raising funds for two new pioneering hospitals in the city – the Cambridge Children’s Hospital and the Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital.
The Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital is a first for the East of England and will bring world-leading research and clinical excellence under one roof, changing the story of cancer, and improving the lives of cancer patients across the UK and beyond.
Built over seven floors, the new hospital will house three world-leading University of Cambridge research institutes focussing on early detection, integrated cancer medicine and precision breast cancer medicine to accelerate and bring new innovations to the bedside faster, detect cancer earlier and treat it more precisely.
Monday’s visit (the 23rd) gave staff running the Cambridge half to raise funds for the new cancer hospital the chance to see the construction site for themselves and hear how their fundraising will be spent.
“It’s more than a new infrastructure; it represents a commitment to bringing world-leading research and clinical excellence together under one roof, so that care is not only delivered but continually advanced.”
Joining them on the site visit was Matt Allen, Director of New Hospital Construction at CUH, who gave staff an update on the exciting plans and progress of the site, along with Ingela Oberg, Lead Cancer Nurse at CUH, who spoke about the difference the new hospital will make to not just the region but the UK and globally too.
Eunice Morada, a Trauma and Orthopaedic Specialist Nurse and Staff Governor at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, was one of the eight runners given a sneak preview of the site.
Talking about how moved she was by the visit, Eunice said: “Visiting the Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital site was incredibly moving. Whilst standing there, you can truly feel the scale of ambition behind the vision. It’s more than a new infrastructure; it represents a commitment to bringing world-leading research and clinical excellence together under one roof, so that care is not only delivered but continually advanced.”
“That moment strengthened my resolve. It reminded me that every mile I run symbolises something bigger. Every step on race day is for our patients, for their families, and for the future of healthcare here in Cambridge.”
She added: “In my roles as a Trauma and Orthopaedic Specialist Nurse and Staff Governor at Cambridge University Hospitals, I see first-hand how research, innovation, and compassionate care shape not only patient outcomes, but the experiences of families walking alongside them.”
“Running for Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust is deeply personal to me. It is my way of giving back to the hospital and community I am proud to serve — beyond my clinical role, beyond governance, and simply as a member of this Cambridge family.”
Someone else who is a huge advocate of the new cancer hospital is Garry Newnes, from Elmswell in Suffolk, who ran the half for ACT last year – but is supporting his friend, Chris Doughty, in this year’s race.
Garry’s daughter, Arlea, was diagnosed with leukaemia twice – as a young child in 2017 and later as a teenager in 2024. Happily, Arlea is now cancer-free – but as a result of seeing the leaps in the advancements in cancer treatments in the five years between Arlea finishing her first treatment and being diagnosed a second time, Garry is now a huge advocate of the new hospital.
Arlea was offered genetic testing for the first time when she relapsed in 2024. She underwent a progressive form of treatment called Car-T therapy and had a bone marrow transplant – where genetic testing allowed for her perfect match to be found.
Garry’s friend Chris, who is running the TTP Cambridge Half Marathon for ACT next month, is running as a close friend of the family and because his own son, Oli, was also diagnosed with leukaemia as a child but is now, happily, cancer free.
Click here to read their stories and to donate.
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