Samsung Mobile on the run with support from Joe Cole, patron of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust

Samsung Mobile today announced that it will be supporting the Cystic Fibrosis Trust through a number of fund raising activities throughout 2008. The campaign, championed by Mark Mitchinson, VP of Samsung Mobile UK and Ireland, began this month with a Samsung four mile run on the 4th January.

The event was attended by Joe Cole, patron of the Trust and Chelsea Football Club player, along with employees from Samsung Mobile and Samsung Electronics. Taking time out from his hectic training schedule Joe gave Mark and fellow marathon runner Paul Roberts (himself a sufferer of Cystic Fibrosis) some top hints and tips for training success.

The first in a series of fundraising events, the run will be followed by a celebrity Samsung product gala dinner and charity auction, blog, and Battersea Park Fun Run, all in advance of Mark Mitchinson’s ultimate commitment – running the Flora London Marathon on behalf of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

Cystic Fibrosis is the UK's most common life-threatening inherited disease and it affects over young 8,000 people in the UK. Over two million people in the UK carry the faulty gene that causes Cystic Fibrosis - around one in 25 of the population. If two carriers have a child, the baby has a one in four chance of having Cystic Fibrosis. Cystic Fibrosis affects the internal organs, especially the lungs and digestive system, by clogging them with thick sticky mucus. This makes it hard to breathe and digest food.

Mark Mitchinson, VP of Samsung Mobile, said: “I chose the Cystic Fibrosis Trust as my 2008 charity because of my colleague and friend General Manager of Service, Richard McGowan. Diagnosed with terminal cancer, I told him I wanted to do what I could to help in terms of fundraising. Typically, rather than think of himself, he asked if we would consider supporting the Cystic Fibrosis Trust as his 11 year-old daughter suffers from the disease. Richard’s courage and selflessness has not only inspired me to train for the London Marathon again, but to make sure as many people as possible are aware of my fundraising efforts and such a debilitating disease, through this website.

Mitchinson continued “In order to succeed in the marathon, I have been training with a very special coach – we’ll reveal more about my training in due course.”

Commenting on the commitment from Samsung, Sarah Guthrie, Director of Fundraising, Cystic Fibrosis Trust said: “I cannot overemphasise the importance of initiatives such as Mark’s to the running of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. We are continually looking to develop long-term corporate relationships and Samsung is a great brand to have on board. We are very much looking forward to working with Samsung Mobile and our patron Joe Cole throughout the year to achieve incredible results!”

For more information on Mark’s training, or to donate to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, please log on to www.marathomnmitch.com.