Call for more Relay support

PREPARATIONS for August’s Relay for Life are underway, however the organisers say participant numbers are low.

The annual event raises money for the Cancer Council and after it was cancelled last year, the Bendigo Relay for Life team are eager to hold their special fundraiser in 2021.

“Teams are right down in numbers, there’s been a lot going on with COVID of course but we need to get numbers there to have a great event and to raise funds for the Cancer Council,” said Teresa Jones, chair of Bendigo Relay for Life.

“This year’s a 10-hour event, it normally goes overnight but we’re not allowed to have people camping.”

Ms Jones said that even though the fundraiser is shorter than usual, they will still be walking at night in solidarity with cancer survivors and families of those who succumb to the illness.

“When you’re walking at night, that’s the time most people with cancer are most vulnerable to pain,” she said.

“We’ll still be walking at night and that’s where you feel their pain.

“We value the fact that you meet up with people at relay that have been in the same situation you have or knows someone and will have a chat about their story.

“They open up at Relay because they know that everyone else there is on the same journey.”

Special features of this year’s event include a family barbecue, market stalls, and performances from local artists Alanna and Alicia Egan and Chris and Josh DeAruago.

The Relay ends with a traditional candlelight ceremony, with candles lighting up the track in honour of cancer victims, three candles lit for the past, present and future of the fight against cancer, and a speech from a survivor.

“It’s a very moving ceremony, it’s very easy to go to tears but it’s well worth it,” said Ms Jones.

Register your team for the Bendigo Relay for Life at bit.ly/3wtMfwH.