Barrettine Bathing Belles take on the Relay For Life

There are more people being diagnosed with cancer than ever before, with around 330,000 people being diagnosed in the UK each year.

This figure is expected to increase to more than 425,000 by 2030. Through the help of Cancer Research UK survival rates have doubled over the last 40 years - but there are still too many people that die from cancer and there remain groups of patients whose outcomes are particularly poor.

Cancer Research UK is the world's leading cancer charity dedicated to saving lives through research and to aid that research, it’s vital that people continue to raise money through fundraising events like the Relay For Life. The Relay For Life is a 24 hour relay event that allows communities to come together, to honour Cancer Survivors, remember those whose lives have been lost, educate the community on cancer prevention and early detection, and raise life-saving funds to help Cancer Research UK find new answers to the many different forms of cancer. The duration of 24 hours is symbolic of giving up a day of your life for those who may not have another.

This year the ’Barrettine Bathing Belles’ - 14 women at Barrettine, formed a cancer-butt kicking team and took part in the Yate Relay For Life on the 7/8 July. Each member had a personal reason for wanting to take part and raise lots of money for the charity which made the weekend even more special. 

The 24 hours consisted of team members taking it in turns in pairs to walk/run laps of the track all day and night to show that cancer never sleeps. There were 10 themed laps which all linked back to cancer, such as the opening Guest of Honour Lap which celebrated all of the cancer survivors taking part, and the Lighting the way to Hope lap, which was a chance for everyone involved to remember their lost loved ones. By the end of the 24 hours the team had walked at least 15 miles each & 1 of our team members Lynn managed to walk the equivalent of a marathon! Seeing as the majority of the team had next-to-no sleep that night, I'd say that's more than impressive.

This year was the biggest turn out for the Yate Relay for Life with 600 people taking part. The total raised so far is a massive £55,000! Our team are so proud to have raised over £5,000 towards that total and with the fundraising continuing into October, donations can only grow. It was a memorable weekend with lots of laughter, many stories shared, tears shed and it's safe to say nobody could walk properly for the following week!

Well done to all of the ladies involved, everyone did amazingly! A special thanks to Lynn McGoogan for all her hard work in organising the group, fundraising events and making sure everything ran smoothly. It wouldn't have been as memorable as it was without her amazing efforts. Here’s to the next one!

If you would like to donate to the cause, you can visit our fundraising page here. Any donation is greatly appreciated. 

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