UICC partner Love Hope Strength embarks on a fundraising trek in the Alps

Since it was established, LHS has raised over USD 1 million for cancer-affected families worldwide through concert fundraisers. Collaborating with blood cancer non-profit DKMS and backed by industry figures such as Robert Plant and Ozzy Osbourne, the foundation has registered nearly 250,000 people for blood stem cell registries in the US and the UK. Remarkably, over 4,500 have been identified as potential life-savers, a figure that continues to grow. 

“Through the window of my hospital room where I was being treated, I could see Mount Snowdon – the highest peak in Wales. I’d climbed Snowdon and figured if I could climb it again, then I’d be ok. And that’s what I did. Later, during a concert tour that took me to Texas, I met James Chippendale, who’d also faced leukaemia. James, being Texan, saw much bigger: he said, ‘why not Everest?’ So we organised the ‘Everest Trek’ in 2007 a fundraising event. It was the world’s highest concert on land, above Base Camp at 18,536 feet [5,650 metres].” 
- Mike Peters, lead singer of The Alarm, co-founder and Chair of the Board of the Love Hope Strength Foundation. 

The ‘Everest Rocks’ trek featured a series of acoustic concerts and impromptu singalongs by members from 1980s bands such as Squeeze, The Fixx, The Alarm and The Stray Cats as they climbed for charity, culminating in the one at Kalapathar, near Everest Base Camp. This unique event concert not only raised money for cancer care in Nepal - notably to acquire the first ever mammography machine at Bhaktapur Cancer Center in Kathmandu - but was also designed to add names to international bone marrow registries. The drive to add names and find donor matches continues at different concerts by Mike Peters and his fellow musicians.  

LHS has taken many prominent musicians and celebrities to several other well-known peaks, including Kilimanjaro, Mount Fuji and Machu Picchu, taking their message of love, hope and strength to those who do not have access to the same medical treatments, care and facilities experienced by many in high-income countries. 

While visiting UICC, Mike shared with enthusiasm stories of bone marrow donors meeting patients who had received their bone marrow thanks to the registry drives organised at concerts. 

“Cancer speaks with one destructive voice. We have to find bridges between our languages to also provide one voice, a positive message to cancel cancer. Music does that. Music unites us, it brings out the best in humanity. Our fundraising approach combines our love for music with a commitment to bring meaningful change to the lives of those affected by cancer.” 
- Mike Peters, lead singer of The Alarm, co-founder and Chair of the Board of the Love Hope Strength Foundation. 

The Rock the Alps trek, which follows last year’s Sahara Rocks event that raised UK£ 100,000, aims to traverse the scenic landscapes of Italy, Switzerland and France over three days. The trek is intended to be a unifying experience for those motivated by adventure, philanthropy and music. 

Donations received through the fundraising effort will go to support children with cancer in Tanzania, where LHS has already supported the creation of a Children’s Cancer Unit in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, providing easier access to more sophisticated treatment and care. 

Despite undergoing treatment for Chronic Lymphocyte Leukaemia (CLL), Peters continues to inspire audiences and remains actively involved in both music and philanthropy, embodying the sentiment of "Never give it up without a fight", a phrase taken from one of his own songs.