Relay raises over €85k for Irish Cancer Society
Peter White and Karen Langton
THE presentation for the final cheque for this year’s Relay for Life took place in the Keadeen Hotel in Newbridge on 5 August where a figure of €85,921 was handed over to the Irish Cancer Society (ICS).
“It’s not the best we’ve ever done, but it is one of the biggest since Covid,” said Peter White, chairperson, and one of the original organisers of the local Relay.
“It was well supported by all the teams, and there was probably 80 people there,” he said.
“Last year we took in over €91,000 which brought us to over €1m across the 13 years, so now we’re up to around €1.1m."
The Relay for Life took place on the Curragh Racecourse between 6-7 July, where teams will do a sponsored walk for 24 hours in aid of the Irish Cancer Society.
“We don’t specify the charity, we donate to the ICS, because they are the experts in this.
“Last year we were able to fund 1,100 hours of volunteer driving across Kildare, and 385 nights of funded palliative care nurses for patients in their own homes.
“There was also an extraordinary amount of calls to the ICS helpline, where people just diagnosed with cancer can get to talk to the experts.
“A total of 25 per cent of our money goes to cancer research, and at present there are 112 separate research projects going on in Irish hospitals and clinics.
“It’s unbelievable what they’re doing, and it’s extraordinary the amount of people involved”.
Unfortunately for Kildare it will be one less in 2027.
“I’ll be stepping down this year after 14 years,” Peter revealed.
“I’ll be 76, and we need new faces and fresh voices.
“When you meet the people involved, it’s a pleasure, not work or a chore.
“The amount of survivors who got involved is staggering, and this year we had 153 turn up at the Curragh to do their bit – and they all had already done a day’s work. Incredible people.
“(Westlife’s) Shane Finan is Relay’s ambassador for Ireland, and while I’ll admit I was a little bit sceptical at first, he stayed around for five hours, taking photos and shaking hands.
“He met everyone, and I was very impressed with his commitment."
