Dynamic team to join Relay For Life

CANCER INITIATIVE: Trust House community support manager Craig Thomson (left, sponsor), Wairarapa Cancer Society centre manager Jeanine Gribbin, ANZ Masterton branch manager Wendy Morrison, event chair, and Property Brokers Wairarapa regional manager Guy Mordaunt, chief sponsor.

ANZ Masterton, Property Brokers and Trust House are on board to "celebrate, remember and fight back" in 2015.

Property Brokers has teamed up with the Wairarapa Centre of the Cancer Society as chief sponsor for the upcoming Relay For Life - to be held at Clareville Showgrounds in March.

Trust House has also signed on as a sponsor, while ANZ Masterton branch manager Wendy Morrison filling the role of chairwoman and chief organiser for the event, a role past held by South Wairarapa Mayor Adrienne Staples.

Centre manager Jeanine Gribbin said she was "excited" to have a "such a dynamic team" on board.

"Property Brokers has been our chief sponsor for six years, and they have always been instrumental in promoting and advertising the event," said Ms Gribbin.

"This is a Wairarapa-wide event, so it's great to have Trust House on board. And Wendy will add an energy and dynamism to the whole thing."

Relay for Life, which has been running in Wairarapa since 2007, is one of the principal fundraisers for the Cancer Society, with teams raising funds to support people living with cancer in the community.

Its motto is "celebrate, remember and fight back" - "celebrate those who have survived, remember those who have passed on, and fight back against cancer".

Traditionally, cancer survivors and their carers run or walk the first lap of the relay.

"It's an inspiring community event," said Ms Gribbin.

"Anyone can enter - we've had everyone from very little to very old take part."

In a change from previous years, the 2015 Relay for Life will take place at Clareville Showgrounds.

"We've always had it at Queen Elizabeth Park, but we thought it was time to shake it up and do something a bit different," said Ms Gribbin.

"Plus, we wanted to shift to the centre of Wairarapa."

Ms Gribbin hopes to get "at least 101 teams" signed up.

"We've had 100 teams in the past - so we want to break that record. We're hoping to get businesses involved, and get them to challenge each other."

Relay For Life will be held on Saturday, March 21 and Sunday, March 22.

Registration is now open. To register a team, go to www.relayforlife.org.nz.