RESIDENTS of Salisbury raced in the fight against cancer at the weekend, raising £35,000 for the Cancer Research UK Race for Life.

Despite the drizzle, more than 600 people participated in the 5k and 10k races with the funds generated going to help research new ways of preventing, diagnosing, and treating cancer.

The event was the 30th of its kind and the participants were awarded an exclusive medal as a symbol of the milestone.

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Breast cancer patient, Kat Ingram from Andover, was part of a team of 18 individuals who supported her and raised £4,075 for the event.

Kat described the day as emotional, as she has undergone four chemotherapy treatments and has two more to go due to her diagnosis with two different types of tumors in one breast.

She said: "We have 18 people in our team supporting me today and we have raised £4,075."

Jo Natt, ran the race in memory of her dad, who died of lung cancer eight days after being diagnosed.

Jo managed to keep a photo of her father dry as she made her way around the 5k course.

She said: "I’m here to remember my dad who passed away in April last year. He was diagnosed with lung cancer and died eight days later."

Deborah Deans, a 66-year-old cancer survivor, was among the participants who walked the 5k course with her daughter, granddaughter, and two dogs, Skye and Chase.

Deborah said: "I found out I had bladder cancer four years ago and have had chemotherapy and radiotherapy and here I am today. We do it every year, it’s a great cause."

Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life event is run in partnership with Standard Life, and the funds raised help beat cancer through supporting crucial research.

In the South East of England, about 53,500 people are diagnosed with cancer every year, while statistics show that one in two people in the UK born after 1960 will develop cancer in their lifetime.

To this end, Cancer Research UK has thanked participants and supporters of the event but has also requested that all sponsorship money be paid in as soon as possible to continue the fight against cancer.

Elisa Mitchell, Cancer Research UK’s spokesperson for Salisbury, expressed her gratitude to all who took part in the event and emphasized the importance of such initiatives in funding crucial cancer research as soon as possible.

She said: "We are incredibly grateful to everyone who took part in Race for Life Salisbury.   

"Life-saving research is being funded right now thanks to our supporters who fundraise. The atmosphere at Race for Life Salisbury was hugely moving - full of emotion, courage, tears and laughter as people celebrated the lives of those dear to them who have survived cancer and remembered loved ones lost to the disease.  

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Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life event raises funds that go towards the fight against over 200 types of cancer, including breast, bowel, prostate, lung, testicular, brain, children’s, and leukaemia.

Standard Life's Chief Executive, Andy Curran, expressed pride in the fact that Standard Life is the headline sponsor of Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life.

He said: "We are extremely proud to have been chosen as the headline sponsor of Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life. This sponsorship will help encourage participation and raise funds for life-saving research to help beat cancer."

To find out more, head to raceforlife.org.