The third Puttinu 60 hour football marathon was held between Friday the 20th and Sunday the 22nd of April 2007 at the Marsa Sports Complex in collaboration with the Kunsill Malti ghall-isports. The opening Mass was celebrated by His Grace the Archbishop Paul Cremona O.P. Mrs. Catherine Gonzi made the opening address.

The main aim of the marathon was to raise cancer awareness in a positive context. Also Puttinu was working on the acquisition of property within walking distance of Royal Marsden Hospital in the UK. Throughout the 2006 and 2007 Puttinu Cares rented two apartments which housed four families however it was seen as more feasible to secure our own property. Therefore to this purpose we launched this fund-raising campaign and hoped that through the support and generosity of kind benefactors, within a short while this goal could be reached. As in previous years, the marathon hosted around 500 teams which included members of parliament, the Kalamita Match, the Hermann Bonaci Team, Where’s Everybody, Zoo, and teams from Tista Tkun Int and Net TV. Apart from the football matches, there was animation throughout the day, as well as evening entertainment- singing and dancing- with the participation of several well-known personalities.

Without any doubt the highlight of this event was the participation of Gian Luigi Buffon on Sunday afternoon and played a game with parents and children. This wonderful experience remained etched in the memory of our children and their families.

Entertainment was provided by Ira Losco, Mike Spiteri, Gawdenz, Glen Vella, She 2’s, Ali and Lis, Fabrizio Faniello, Hooligan and Hector Bruno. The marathon included various sports such as basketball, rugby, judo, cycling, go-karting and BMX shows. Other events include demonstrations of remote-controlled cars and by the Malta Police Dog Section.

This was the first time where the marathon was transmitted live on education 22 on Saturday 21st and it helped to draw the crowds and to raise funds. The success of this marathon was also due to the hard work of the staff at Wonderland (nowadays Rainbow Ward) and many other volunteers. However it would not have been possible without the generosity of many sponsors who helped us in various ways as well as the invaluable coverage and support that was given by individual journalists and presenters, and newspapers, radio and TV stations

This marathon which was highly successful was organized by The Puttinu Cares Children’s Cancer Support Group and the sum of Lm70, 000 (€163, 100) was raised.

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