Published: Thursday, 28th August, 2008 11:05
Dalgety Bay cancer relay raises nearly £100,000
By Ally McRoberts
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Pic by: Dunfermline Press
A 24-HOUR fundraising party in Dalgety Bay to remember loved ones and continue the fight against cancer is set to smash the £80,000 barrier.
The cash raised at the ‘Relay for Life’ event, organised by the local Cancer Research UK branch, was more than double their target.
A delighted Lyn Gorton, the chairman of the town’s Relay for Life committee, said, “It’s the largest relay in Scotland and for just our second attempt it’s phenomenal.
“The total raised up to the end of Sunday was almost £77,000 and we’ll hit the £80,000 mark when it’s all collected.
“We took over £31,000 last year so we were originally hoping to raise £40,000 – we’ve now doubled that which is brilliant.”
The relay was also a celebration of life with 104 cancer survivors taking part to show that the battle against the disease could be won.
The event, held at Dalgety Bay Sports Centre, started with a parade featuring a record number of 38 teams, including nine youth teams.
At least one member of the team had to be on the track throughout the whole 24-hour relay and participants walked miles round and round the sports field.
There were plenty of other activities with a climbing wall and bucking bronco, bands, raffles and homebaking to enjoy, while colourful teams such as ‘Not So Desperate Housewives’ and ‘Relay Rodeo’ raised money at their themed stalls.
A poignant Candle of Hope ceremony was also held on Saturday evening – the only time when teams could stop – to remember loved ones.
Mr Gorton said, “We were lucky with the weather – we had just one shower of rain – and we must have had around 1500 people at the candle ceremony.
“We had to deal with a few drunks who wandered in about 5 in the morning but everyone came away happy at the end of it all.”
Medals were handed out to participants on Sunday as the tired and weary reflected on a 24 hours full of fundraising.
Susan Jamieson, a breast cancer care nurse at the Queen Margaret Hospital, took part in the relay with the ‘In It Together’ team made up of fellow colleagues from the hospital.
“It’s a great event and raises awareness not just of breast cancer but all types of the disease,” she said.
“It’s nice to see the survivors and it’s good for them to meet others who have also won their battle.
“It’s also important to get the message across that people do survive and that further research is needed.”
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