ORGANISERS of Cancer Research UK Relay For Life Marches and Mid Wales is delighted to announce the grand total raised; an amazing £35,484.17.

The relay was held at John Beddoes Campus Sports Field in Presteigne. Members of the 16 teams that took part, who came from in and around Hereford, Kington, Knighton, Llandrindod Wells, Presteigne and even Swindon, took it in turns to walk the track for a full 24 hours, with at least one member from each team on the track at all times.

Relay For Life celebrates cancer survivors and the first lap of the track was walked by 36 survivors, together with their care givers and supporters. For some, this took an enormous amount of effort and they were cheered on by team members and visitors that had gathered around the trackside.

The Relay For Life event is the culmination of the participants’ fundraising in aid of Cancer Research UK. Teams and survivors raised funds in any way they wished leading up to the relay, with the 229 participants all coming together for the final celebration of their fundraising at the Relay For Life event.

Participants and visitors were treated to a fun-filled weekend, with live entertainment from local bands and singers, together with games, stalls and even visits from Disney’s Elsa and Olaf and Mickey and Minnie Mouse. Participants also took part in various cancer awareness themed laps, which saw some ingenious dressing up and interpretations of the themes.

A poignant moment in the relay took place as dusk fell on Saturday evening and a candle of hope ceremony was held. This saw the track lined with hundreds of special candle of hope bags which had been decorated and dedicated to friends and loved ones. The bags had a tealight placed in each one, which was then lit and glowed into the night, lighting up messages of remembrance and hope.

The volunteer event chair, Mick Fryer, said “The Relay for Life event was held for the first time in this area last year. As a committee we thought it might be difficult to replicate the success of last year, but how wrong we were. The support that this event has received is amazing. The relay couldn’t go ahead without the local businesses, organisations and individuals in the community; many of whom sponsored and supported Relay For Life last year too, whether it was loaning equipment, donating prizes, giving their time, supporting events, providing the entertainment or coming along to give their support over the weekend. We are grateful to everyone who helped to make this year’s Relay For Life an incredible weekend with a truly fantastic total raised for Cancer Research UK.”