A FITNESS instructor and her team of more than 40 women are ready to join the fight against cancer.

Lou Sams – who teaches Zumba, toning, Aqua Zumba and Zumba for kids classes in Weymouth and Dorchester – is taking on the Dorchester Race for Life at Kingston Maurward on Sunday.

She will be far from alone after enlisting more than 40 ladies from her Zumba Heat classes to take on the 5km run with her, and they will join hundreds of other runners at the fundraiser for Cancer Research UK.

Lou said: “I wanted to get together as many ladies as possible who attend my classes to join me in raising money for this charity. “I now have a group of over 40 ladies, who attend my various classes, who are taking part in this event.

“Some of these ladies have sadly been affected in some way by this disease and they come to my Zumba and toning classes to help them emotionally and physically. “My aim is always that people have so much fun that they forget about any troubles and worries, feel energised and leave my class emotionally uplifted.” She added: “These ladies want to take part in the Race for Life to promote it and help raise money.”

Lou will also be leading the more than 1,600 runners talking part in the Cancer Slam warm up routine – a dance performed nationally to promote Race for Life.

She said: “To be asked to do this is a huge honour and absolute privilege for me especially as the previous instructor, Lindsey Beale, had decided to hand the baton over to me after doing it for many years and specified that she wanted me to now do it.”

Lou added: “I really look forward to being part of this huge event and to be asked to lead the warm up means everything to me as I will make sure that each and every lady on the day has great fun from the minute we start.

The women will all be wearing matching pink T-shirts on the day, which have been sponsored by The Self Storage Company and Hearn and Sons, and will come together for a picnic after the event to celebrate their achievement in taking part.

To sponsor Lou and her group visit justgiving.com/lou-sams-zumba-heat For more information about the event visit raceforlife.org or call 0845 600 6050.