TORQUAY’S main shopping centre will be getting a purple makeover from Saturday onwards.<\/p>\n
The Surf Coast Relay for Life committee has plans to decorate Gilbert Street in purple from February 3 until February 18.<\/p>\n
The Surf Coast Shire is sponsoring the event and has donated $1,000 to help \u201cPaint the Town Purple\u201d with signs, bunting and decorations.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will be a great way to celebrate World Cancer Day on Sunday February 4, and to let everyone know our two-day relay will be staged at Polwarth Oval, Torquay North, on March 16-17,\u201d committee co-chair Magdalena Wheatland said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur goal is to raise $75,000 this year to take the Surf Coast community’s contributions to Cancer Council Victoria’s coffers to $500,000 over the past six years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mrs Wheatland said Gilbert Street shop owners had been invited to stage purple and yellow displays through their premises, with a competition for the best effort to be judged on February 14.<\/p>\n
The 2017 winner was Gilbert Street women’s fashion shop Elise E Boutique.<\/p>\n
Enquiries are being made about staging a World Cancer Day march starting at 8.45am from Gilbert Street along The Esplanade to Point Danger and back.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur fundraising teams and supporters in their purple shirts would be creating a colourful spectacle and making a powerful statement that the fight against the scourge of cancer is on-going,\u201d Mrs Wheatland said. \u201cFeedback from our first Paint the Town Purple last year indicated a lot of people came to the Surf Coast relay after reading the promotional signage we had set up there.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are seeing signs that the research, support and educational programs Cancer Council Victoria has in place are paying off.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt spurs on our committee and team members to do more, and we hope, creates community awareness of what is being achieved.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mrs Wheatland said 16 teams, with a total of 160 participants, had so far registered for this year\u2019s Surf Coast relay.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe expect another six or so teams to nominate before March, and the committee is well advanced with the activities and entertainment programs to ensure the relay is a great event for families.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
TORQUAY’S main shopping centre will be getting a purple makeover from Saturday onwards. The Surf Coast Relay for Life committee has plans to decorate Gilbert Street in purple from February 3 until February 18. The Surf Coast Shire is sponsoring the event and has donated $1,000 to help \u201cPaint the Town Purple\u201d with signs, bunting […]<\/p>\n