Relay for Life total: a record £275,370.44

More than a quarter of a million pounds was raised at this year’s Relay for Life, it was announced on Friday night.

The final total for the fundraiser, held in May in aid of Cancer Research UK, was £275,370.44p. This outstanding figure exceeds by some way the amount raised in the last relay in 2010, which was itself a UK record.

Relay for Life chairwoman Olive MacLeod said: “It’s just absolutely amazing. Shetland has done it again – surpassed all expectations. A huge, huge thank you to everybody that took part or contributed in any way to make the relay so successful.”

CRUK’s senior relay development officer Louise Robertson called Shetland “phenomemal”, and said after the relay that she was “blown away” by the support of the community. The event saw 10 per cent of Shetland’s population taking part either by being in a team sponsored to make their way round the running track (there were more than 130 teams this year), volunteering or donating for the stalls in the gala afternoon or just by being there.

This year’s relay was Shetland’s fourth such event, and was the biggest in Europe of its type. It is held in alternate years and has become a firmly fixed occasion in the local calendar.

Each time it has become bigger and better, with more teams taking part, more entertainment and more money raised. The 2010 total of £227,000 earned the Shetland Relay for Life the Flame of Hope award for fundraising in the community.