The Fundraising Standards Board has dismissed a complaint against Cancer Research UK, which claimed that the charity’s Race for Life event discriminated against men and thus was unfair.

In it’s third ‘stage 3’ adjudication since it began to accept complaints, FRSB has thrown out a single complaint that Cancer Research UK’s women-only fun run was discriminatory to men and broke the ‘Fundraising Promise’ that charities act fairly and reasonably.

The regulator agreed with Cancer Research’s arguments that Race for Life’s ability to raise funds would be diluted if it were made a mixed-race event and that the charity also runs the male-only fun run Run for Moore.

Cancer Research UK referred the original complaint to the FRSB and also contacted the Equality and Human Rights Commission, as the complainant alleged the event breached the Human Rights Act and the 1975 Sex Discrimination Act. The Commission too dismissed the complaint.

Colin Lloyd, chair of the FRSB said: “The board was encouraged that Cancer Research UK handled the case with sensitivity. It presented exemplary best practice in complaint handling which the FRSB is committed to fostering across its membership.”

Cancer Research UK had also been the subject of the FRSB’s first stage 3 complaint, a complaint which was also dismissed by the regulator.