The annual Relay for Life was held on the weekend with almost $65,000 being raised for cancer research.
The event kicked off at noon on Saturday at Collendina Recreation Reserve and ran non-stop through until noon on Sunday.
The current total for the Bellarine Relay for Life 2016 is $64,522 with that set to increase in the coming days with further donations still coming in. More than 300 walkers and 25 teams participated.
The Candlelight Ceremony on the Saturday evening had an audience of hundreds. Penny Freeman and Corrine Beyer both spoke, telling their stories about how cancer had touched them.
Five teams – Scott No Cancer, Bellarine Bunyips, Breasties Besties, Pink Ribbon Warriors and team Loz – qualified for the Research Awards by raising $5000 or more. This means they allocate their entire donation total to a particular current research project.
Pink Ribbon Warriors raised the most with $11,149 and Scott No Cancer were not far behind on $10,089.
The Spirit of Relay was awarded to Paula Hardiman who was the solo team member for her team For Catherine. She managed to walk the entire 24 hours however was joined by other team participants to keep her company on the course.
Walkers were kept entertained by some very talented students from Bellarine Secondary College. The food vendors did a great job fuelling the walkers throughout the event, with the Coffee Break team serving coffee for the entire 24 hours. All the food vendors donate a percentage of their takings to the Relay for Life.
Next year’s Bellarine Relay For Life will be held on 28 and 29 October. Team registrations are now open by visiting www.relayforlife.org.au or calling 1300 65 65 85.
