A WARRINGTON-based fundraising team is celebrating raising a massive £100,000 after just three years of supporting Cancer Research UK.
Relay For Life Warrington is a registered committee that fundraises on behalf of the charity. Their £100,000 milestone was reached through a combination of street and shop collections, individual and team sponsored challenges, garden parties, prize draws, bake sales, one-off personal donations, and their flagship event – an annual 24-hour celebration event held at Victoria Park Athletics stadium in Warrington.
In 2019, 400 participants from Warrington, Runcorn and surrounding areas joined forces to support the Warrington event, but the pandemic meant that last year’s activities had to be held virtually. This year, the intrepid team of supporters are currently delivering a varied season of different fun initiatives, including a hybrid virtual/physical relay event to be held on June 12.
With lockdown restrictions easing, the committee has planned a series of further events this year including a “Woof walkies” dog walk, a “Twilight Walk” and bake off events. They are also planning their first ever Grand Ball to celebrate the end of the fundraising season in November.
David Ash, event chairman for Relay for life Warrington said: “It is a staggeringly fantastic total to hit, and it is literally lifesaving. The fact that the whole community has worked so hard, and fought on through a pandemic, to achieve this is simply outstanding. The need to support Cancer Research UK, and all charities, has never been more urgent than right now. I am so immensely proud of every single person who has contributed in any way so far, and for those who will do so in the future. We are all extremely excited about all of the fabulous 2021 events and we’re looking forward to delivering an unbelievably good 2022 Relay for Life back at Victoria Park!”
Relay For Life Warrington began life back in 2018 to raise funds for vital life-saving research within the North West, at the Manchester and Liverpool research centres, helping to ensure more men, women and children in the North West and across the UK survive.
Founder member Megan Elliot, survivorship chairman, said: “I am absolutely delighted that we have reached this wonderful mile-stone in our fundraising. Thank you to our Relay family and our committee for their continued enthusiasm and dedication. I hope this great news will inspire everyone to continue fundraising for life-saving research”.
Chris Doyle, relationship manager for Cancer Research UK in the North West, said: “Relay For Life Warrington have made a huge contribution to Cancer Research UK’s work over the past three years and we are incredibly grateful for the support of the committee and the amazing teams of supporters that they work with in the Warrington and Runcorn areas.
“One in two people in the UK will be diagnosed with cancer at some stage in their lives, but the good news is more people are surviving the disease now than ever before. Cancer survival in the UK has doubled since the early 1970s and Cancer Research UK’s work has been at the heart of that progress. However, we have only been able to achieve this thanks to the dedication and commitment of our volunteers and supporters without whom we would not be able to fund our life-saving research.”
For further information about Relay for Life Warrington contact chairman, David Ash, via [email protected] or call him on 07749012937, or visit Cancer Research UK’s website cruk.org.
