Relay for Life on track for success
SHETLAND’S biggest charity event is building up to be as successful as the last one two years ago with 105 teams already signed up to take part.
Organisers of the Relay for Life for Cancer Research say there are more teams than there were at this stage in 2012, with just 50 days to go to the big event on 31 May.
Groups are already staging fundraising events throughout the isles, such the Southern Belles and Beaus – formerly the South Mainland Cancer Support Group – who organised a flash mob routine of The Birdie Song at Sumburgh airport on Wednesday raising an astonishing £341.63 in just 45 minutes.
Saturday 19 April sees the biggest event in the build up to the big day with Shetland’s Got Talent at Mareel, which has already sold out.
Three judges – Davie Gardner, Gillian Isbister and Malcolm Younger – will have the difficult task of choosing three finalists from eight acts that are vying for the £250 prize donated by the Serene Fishing Company.
The final winner will be decided by the audience through the clever device of buckets – the act that fills their bucket with the most cash wins the day.
On 2 May the charity is holding a Relay T Shirt day, where everyone involved is being encouraged to wear their Relay for Life T shirt to work, take a picture of themselves and post it on their Facebook page.
And a call has also gone out to Orkney to once again send up participants to the Shetland event, after their own Relay For Life effort ran out of steam a few years ago.
In 2012 there were 2,000 people taking part who between them raised an extraordinary £275,000, making Shetland the most successful event of its kind anywhere in Europe.
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The charity’s local chairwoman Kerry Eunson said she had every reason to believe this year’s Relay for Life would more than match anything that came before.
She said they had a great line up of local bands to play, a seafood barbecue, a hog roast, bouncy castles and face painting at the gala in the afternoon before the all night relay round the track at Clickimin.
“This is the sort of thing people in Shetland like doing because it gets everyone together and the cause touches so many people, everyone knows someone who has been affected by cancer or had the experience themselves,” she said.
So far the participants have raised almost £23,000 towards their target of £261,000, but it is thought some of the donations have yet to be banked. What has already come in will generate an extra £3,250 in Gift Aid payments.
Anyone wanting to sign up or find out more about the event can do so here.
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