Relay for Life teams enter

Cancer Research UK’s regional manager for Scotland Louise Robertson is in Shetland this weekend to meet fund-raisers and teams preparing to take part in this year’s Relay for Life.

The relay will take place at Clickimin on 31st May and Ms Robertson is encouraging as many people as possible to become involved.

People will participate in teams and take it in turns to run or walk around the running track in an all-night event.

The relay has become a huge community event as well as a huge fund-raiser. Shetland holds the European record for being the biggest relay – there were 42 teams last time and could be more this year – and raised £279,000.

The proceeds had gone to fund “world-class research”, Ms Robertson said, and this year all the money raised will stay in the north-east of Scotland.

She said: “The money will be staying in the place where they will benefit, it will make it real for people taking part.”

Research will be carried out in Aberdeen, which is a centre for the co-ordination of clinical trials, and at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee. All this is funded by CRUK, which receives no government funding.

Ms Robertson said research was going on into 200 types of cancer, and “we don’t shy away from more difficult research”. This included more “challenging” cancers such as pancreatic.

People should feel confident the money they raised in the relay would benefit them, she said – and the event would also be good fun.

There will be a gala afternoon ahead of the relay, and music and food will be on offer throughout the day and night.