Emotional 'Relay for Life' candle event in East Cork next month

A 24-hour walking relay to honour people lost to cancer is set to take place next month in Cork.

'Relay for Life East Cork' will see teams fundraise in aid of the Irish Cancer Society and the vital services and research they provide.

Though there are relays of this type across Ireland and internationally, this is the only one in Cork, and it will be the 12th year that the event is hosted in Midleton, on the pitch in the CBS.

Megan Rafferty, the PR chair for the event, said: “We walk on a track lined with candle bags that light our way throughout the night and remind us why we are there. Each bag is decorated with names of people we have lost or who are currently fighting cancer.

“When the sun starts to set, we have a Candle of Hope ceremony where we remember those who line our track and hope for a time when nobody is affected by cancer. It's a very emotional moment in the 24 hours," she added.

They usually average 2,500 bags on the track, all placed by the Midleton scouts at the event, which is taking place in CBS Midleton on September 12 to 13.

Ms Raffety continued: “Another huge part of our relay are the people who made it through cancer.

“A fair number of our small committee are survivors; I myself am a two-time leukaemia survivor, and seeing all the purple shirts do the first lap is a great sight.

“We have a whole marquee for survivors so we can celebrate them for the 24 hours. It's a great therapeutic moment when we can all share war stories and relate to each other.

“The day is filled with stories, families, friends and music to keep us all going. You have people on teams there all the time, families coming in to support and a few people who call in just to see their person's name on their bag amongst the rest.”