About 300 people turned out for the Selwyn Relay For Life last Saturday.
Organisers were happy with the Brookside Park event, which raised $33,000 for the Cancer Society thanks to the fundraising efforts of individuals and teams.
Participants walked the track from 10am till 10pm, dressed in a colourful array of costumes.
The relay concluded with a moving candlelight ceremony in remembrance of people who have passed away.
Most participants walked portions of the day, passing their unique batons among their teams. But event ambassador Jade Bell walked for the duration of the event.
Bell is a cancer survivor herself and was a carer for her partner John who died of pancreatic cancer in 2022.
Bell walked 60.12km, taking only short breaks.
The event included an inaugural open invite ‘intergenerational lap’, in which multiple generations completed a lap together.
Organisers acknowledged the significant community effort required to run the event, including the volunteer committee and crew, key sponsors, such as Property Brokers, HDL, Hire Store and Ministry of the Mind Music, and the participants themselves who joined together to celebrate, remember and fight back against cancer.
