Goal of $100,000 for Cancer Society from Whanganui’s Relay For Life

Relay for Life returns to Cooks Gardens on Saturday, March 11. Photo / NZME

A celebration of life, full of fun and colour, will take place at Whanganui’s Cooks Gardens on Saturday, March 11.

Relay For Life, an event where teams and individuals walk or run around a track to raise funds for the Cancer Society, has been affected in recent years by Covid-19, with organisers suggesting other ways to chip in.

“We left it to teams and individuals alike to come up with their own ways of fundraising from home,” Whanganui-Rangitīkei-Waimarino Cancer Society chairman Graeme Baker said.

With the return of the event this year, many people have fundraised in advance and that will contribute to a goal of raising $100,000.

“Initially, we’ve put a Whanganui-wide funding goal of $100,000 on the table for all to aspire to. Many have either contributed already or are gearing up in advance for Relay For Life, where we currently sit at $32,390,” Baker said.

“It’s an awesome achievement.”

Graeme Baker getting ready to set up for Relay for Life. Photo / Bevan Conley

There will be a running costume theme of the day - Celebrate, Remember, Fight Back! - with teams encouraged to dress up in a 70s costume as part of a competition.

Relay For Life is about celebrating cancer survivors from diagnosis to treatment to remission, no matter where they are in their cancer journey.

The event will take place on Saturday, March 11, at Cooks Gardens in central Whanganui, with teams congregating from 9am. The event starts at noon and continues until 9pm.