Organisers of an annual charity relay in the north-east have hailed participants who have raised more than £140,000 for cancer research.
The Peterhead Relay for Life event has become a fixture in the local calendar and torrential downpours failed to deter more than 600 people from turning out on Saturday to cheer on friends, family and cancer survivors taking part.
The event encourages teams of runners to race for 24 hours and raise money for Cancer Research UK.
It opened on Saturday morning with cancer survivors running and walking the track at Catto Park, before making way for the relay.
A ceremony was held in the evening for people who are still battling cancer and for those who have died.
The funds from this weekend’s relay have been tallied and so far the Peterhead entrants have raised £147,848, with the total expected to rise further still in the coming days.
Last night, chairwoman of the local committee Lorraine Coleman said their efforts were “amazing”.
She said: “It was raining for the first seven hours, but there were no signs of dampened spirits.
“The survivors were an inspiration to us all – the youngest being Nicole Millar, 3, whose smile melted our hearts, and our oldest being Hilda Duyce, 91.
“The 52 survivors who did the opening lap started our 24-hour relay, and the 23 teams and volunteers showed what it was about – enthusiasm, fun and heart.
“It was really fabulous to see the spirit of the teams despite the rain, throwing themselves into the fun provided by the awesome entertainment team.
“We’ve just tidied it all up today and recruited new team members, so we’ve already started for next year.”
Earlier this year, the team behind Relay For Life Peterhead were honoured for their nine years of fundraising at the Cancer Research UK Flame of Hope Awards.
In 2014, Relay for Life Peterhead became the first event of its kind in the UK to raise more than £1million for the charity’s work.