No sleep but lots of fun at Relay For Life

No sleep but lots of fun at Relay For Life

Teams entered in this weekend’s Relay For Life are busy raising money for what will be 24 hours on the track without much sleep.

Team members from the greater Christchurch area will walk or run around a track surrounded by their tents and many stay awake the whole time to raise funds for the Cancer Society.

“Everyone camps overnight so the relay has a great feeling of community. Many of the teams have been affected by cancer is some way and see the relay as a way of supporting other people in the same situation,” says Jane Sherriff, from the Canterbury/West Coast Division of the Cancer Society.

Relay For Life is being held at Christchurch’s A and P Showgrounds from 12 noon on Saturday February 28 until 12 noon Sunday March 1.

Tipped as the biggest fundraising event in the world Relay For Life was started in America in 1985 and has grown from there. In New Zealand alone 16 relays will be held this year.

More than 90 teams participated in the rain at Christchurch’s first Relay For Life last year and raised $160,000 for the Cancer Society. Many have returned to enter a team again this year, says Jane.

The teams will be entertained with a variety of music and dance during Relay For Life and a range of activities for children, including motorbike rides, will be held on Sunday March 1 which is Children’s Day.

“The public are welcome to attend during both days – it’s certainly a lot of fun,” says Jane.

Cancer survivors, along with their friends and family, will celebrate their lives when they take part in a moving survivors’ lap which starts Relay For Life.

“Those who lost their battle with cancer will also be remembered in a memorial service on the Saturday evening,” says Jane.

“It’s a time to both celebrate and reflect – but also to have fun while raising funds for such a worthwhile cause.”

ENDS

© Scoop Media