CANCER survivors and their supporters marked a year of successful fundraising with a mammoth 24-hour walk around Ascot Racecourse at the weekend.


Walkers racked up more than 28,000 miles during the 24-hour Relay for Life to celebrate those who have beaten the disease and to remember the people lost to it.


With thousands of pounds still expected to be raised over the next six weeks, the running total after the overnight event was an impressive £88,000, and organiser Rose Dalton hopes the final tally could see them donate more than £100,000 to Cancer Research UK.


Rose said: “It’s a celebration but it’s a really hard way to do it. We’re all exhausted! It was a fantastic 24 hours.


“We had 530 participants and then more turned up on the day. We had 70 cancer survivors and 130 carers who enjoyed a Victorian tea party in the afternoon provided by Frimley Hall Hotel, which was lovely.


“The thing people don’t get about the relay is it’s not a one-off event, it’s a culmination of a whole year’s events.

It’s much more than a walk – we work all year round raising money and organising events. Some groups have events organised now for September or October.”


An 'Knit a Mile for Cancer’ initiative was just one of the group’s fundraisers and saw hundreds of purple scarves donated and auctioned off to raise money for the charity.


Speaking at the event was Royal Borough Mayor Dee Quick, herself a cancer survivor, who  gave an inspirational talk to the crowd about her experiences.