Teams are the HEART of any Relay for Life event. Without them, there is no Relay........
Here at Portsmouth Relay for Life, we are extremely proud of our teams and can genuinely say that their dedication and determination knows no bounds!
Rain or shine, they are always there, helping out with bucket collections, fundraising (from race nights, cake sales and discos etc) and promotions - not just in the Portsmouth area but all across Hampshire. Some of our teams travel from across the country in order to take part in Portsmouth Relay - the oldest Relay event in the UK.
Phil Jones, Sammy's Sealers.....
Our team, Sammy’s Sealers, has been part of Portsmouth’s Relay
For Life since it began in 1997.
We have seen so many changes over the years and so many different teams. Our daughter, Samantha, died in March 1998 and every year we participate, in the knowledge that, our and other teams’ efforts will make a difference to eradicate this terrible disease.
Cancer treatment has improved so much over the years due to money provided for research. The teams of people who take part in Portsmouth’s Relay For Life put a lot of effort and hard work into raising money.
We hope that Relay For Life continues to flourish for many years to come and that the old and new teams at Portsmouth Relay For Life continue to feel proud for what they achieve during the 24 hours.
For Life since it began in 1997.
We have seen so many changes over the years and so many different teams. Our daughter, Samantha, died in March 1998 and every year we participate, in the knowledge that, our and other teams’ efforts will make a difference to eradicate this terrible disease.
Cancer treatment has improved so much over the years due to money provided for research. The teams of people who take part in Portsmouth’s Relay For Life put a lot of effort and hard work into raising money.
We hope that Relay For Life continues to flourish for many years to come and that the old and new teams at Portsmouth Relay For Life continue to feel proud for what they achieve during the 24 hours.
Louise Morris, Sammy's Friends......
The first ever Portsmouth Relay For Life (RFL) was in July 1997.
Our team did our first RFL in 1998 and we have been participating every year since. Our team, ‘Sammy’s Friends’, was formed in memory of our dear friend Samantha who died in 1998, aged 23 years. Samantha was inspirational to everyone that she met and is greatly missed.
Our team is made up of Samantha’s family and friends and we are partners in crime with another Relay team ‘Sammy’s Sealers’. Sam took part in the first ever Portsmouth RFL and we remember it as if it was yesterday. Sam was very poorly and was having chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
But she was determined to participate in Relay that year. We take part to raise as much money as we can to help others and to support research in the hope that cures can be found for this terrible disease.
Our team did our first RFL in 1998 and we have been participating every year since. Our team, ‘Sammy’s Friends’, was formed in memory of our dear friend Samantha who died in 1998, aged 23 years. Samantha was inspirational to everyone that she met and is greatly missed.
Our team is made up of Samantha’s family and friends and we are partners in crime with another Relay team ‘Sammy’s Sealers’. Sam took part in the first ever Portsmouth RFL and we remember it as if it was yesterday. Sam was very poorly and was having chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
But she was determined to participate in Relay that year. We take part to raise as much money as we can to help others and to support research in the hope that cures can be found for this terrible disease.
Lewis Mason, Malcy's Lazy Warriors.......
Relay for Life is not just a fundraising exercise set out by CRUK to get some money in, it is so much more. Every team member that takes part in Relay is joined in a unique fight against Cancer. A fight that shows in every lap that is completed. Relay has soul, which lives in the spirit of the event. Everyone who takes part in Relay have differing reasons for being involved, but there is no denying that the people who take part have the same goal.
Join Relay and help raise some money for CRUK. Together we can beat Cancer.
Relay for Life is not just a fundraising exercise set out by CRUK to get some money in, it is so much more. Every team member that takes part in Relay is joined in a unique fight against Cancer. A fight that shows in every lap that is completed. Relay has soul, which lives in the spirit of the event. Everyone who takes part in Relay have differing reasons for being involved, but there is no denying that the people who take part have the same goal.
Join Relay and help raise some money for CRUK. Together we can beat Cancer.
Jade Rogers, Best of British........
I first heard about Relay for Life on 2011 through a friend on Facebook. I straight away knew it was something I wanted to do so asked to join the team. As I only knew one person on the team of 8 people I was quite nervous and worried about being on my own. I couldn't have been more wrong!
From start to finish, I felt like I was part of one big family, each person there for their own reasons but all with one goal. I returned in 2012 as captain of my own team 'Best Of British' and once again was overwhelmed with the feeling of being part of something so wonderful. I lost my nan to cancer so this inspired me to take part originally, but as each year has passed it is the commitment of the committee members and each and every person that takes part that inspires me to come back, and I am now very much looking forward to Relay for Life 2013.
I first heard about Relay for Life on 2011 through a friend on Facebook. I straight away knew it was something I wanted to do so asked to join the team. As I only knew one person on the team of 8 people I was quite nervous and worried about being on my own. I couldn't have been more wrong!
From start to finish, I felt like I was part of one big family, each person there for their own reasons but all with one goal. I returned in 2012 as captain of my own team 'Best Of British' and once again was overwhelmed with the feeling of being part of something so wonderful. I lost my nan to cancer so this inspired me to take part originally, but as each year has passed it is the commitment of the committee members and each and every person that takes part that inspires me to come back, and I am now very much looking forward to Relay for Life 2013.
Lucy Grafen, The Fort...........
We've taken part in Relay for Life in 2011 and 2012 but everyone of the 8 who did our first one came back for the second! Plus another 3. So you can tell how much we enjoyed it.
Most of us work for the child and adolescent mental health team (CAMHS) in Havant, and we'd had a very disruptive year, and wanted something to build team morale, so a bunch of us do it, and bully the rest of them to sponsor!
While organising my team for Relay for Life, a retired colleague and one of our team's dad were diagnosed with cancer, so it became more relevant. Sadly Rachel's dad died, but Maggie is well and surviving oesophageal cancer, which is fantastic for 18 months later. We've made over £1200 each time, and it feels great to contribute to Cancer Research UK - such a good charity. It is great that the someone who does the research in Southampton comes to talk to us, they are so enthusiastic, and it is good to hear how our money is used.
Most of us work for the child and adolescent mental health team (CAMHS) in Havant, and we'd had a very disruptive year, and wanted something to build team morale, so a bunch of us do it, and bully the rest of them to sponsor!
While organising my team for Relay for Life, a retired colleague and one of our team's dad were diagnosed with cancer, so it became more relevant. Sadly Rachel's dad died, but Maggie is well and surviving oesophageal cancer, which is fantastic for 18 months later. We've made over £1200 each time, and it feels great to contribute to Cancer Research UK - such a good charity. It is great that the someone who does the research in Southampton comes to talk to us, they are so enthusiastic, and it is good to hear how our money is used.
Sharon Cowan, Matthew's Mates.......
Our team, in its various guises, has been taking part in Relay
for Life since July 2010. Back then we started life as ‘The Calm Down Crew’ and our team consisted of 18 family and friends. Cancer has invaded our family a great deal over the years and we were keen to become involved; not least because one of the youngest members of our family had fought his own battle with this devastating disease just that year. Our Matthew of 'Matthew's Mates',
Portsmouth's youngest survivor to date, was the spark that ignited our Relay flame.
In October 2009 Matthew was diagnosed with a form of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma called Burkitts Lymphoma. Initially diagnosed with Appendicitis, Matthew was operated on to remove the infected appendix at Southampton General Hospital. This surgery was unsuccessful and a week later a biopsy revealed he had Cancer. To say his family were devastated is an understatement. Dad Jason remembers feeling that 'Cancer had always been something that happens to someone else, not my 3 year old boy'. As a close family, we were all touched by their plight. We all received regular updates with great anticipation and with everything crossed that Matthew was progressing. He was put under the care of Gary Nicolin on Piam Brown Ward at Southampton General Hospital and also the children's Oncology department at Queen Alexander Hospital in Portsmouth. He had further surgery to remove part of the affected bowel and underwent a course of Chemotherapy.
Thankfully Matthew was given the all clear the following Feburary. He had check ups every 3 months to monitor his progress for 2 years and now has check ups every 6 months. He will remain under the care of Southampton General Hospital until he is 18 years old.
Our family have encountered several battles with the big ‘C’ over the years; from our grandmother who survived a mastectomy at the age of 74; to close friend Claire, diagnosed with cervical cancer at the age of 32; to mischievous Matthew. In fact, since embarking on our Relay adventure, Matthew’s grandmother and Mum have both been diagnosed with breast cancer and have both undergone treatment.
The team line up has changed slightly over the past three years but the core of the team is constant and now we are known and well established as ‘Matthew’s Mates’. He is a vibrant reminder of the ordeal many are faced with; and it is for him and the memory of those who have fought for him that we are continually motivated to take part. But also, Relay Day (or as Matthew calls it: ‘his day’) is a day for us all to come together as a family, to give thanks and celebrate the fact that we are all together for another year.
for Life since July 2010. Back then we started life as ‘The Calm Down Crew’ and our team consisted of 18 family and friends. Cancer has invaded our family a great deal over the years and we were keen to become involved; not least because one of the youngest members of our family had fought his own battle with this devastating disease just that year. Our Matthew of 'Matthew's Mates',
Portsmouth's youngest survivor to date, was the spark that ignited our Relay flame.
In October 2009 Matthew was diagnosed with a form of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma called Burkitts Lymphoma. Initially diagnosed with Appendicitis, Matthew was operated on to remove the infected appendix at Southampton General Hospital. This surgery was unsuccessful and a week later a biopsy revealed he had Cancer. To say his family were devastated is an understatement. Dad Jason remembers feeling that 'Cancer had always been something that happens to someone else, not my 3 year old boy'. As a close family, we were all touched by their plight. We all received regular updates with great anticipation and with everything crossed that Matthew was progressing. He was put under the care of Gary Nicolin on Piam Brown Ward at Southampton General Hospital and also the children's Oncology department at Queen Alexander Hospital in Portsmouth. He had further surgery to remove part of the affected bowel and underwent a course of Chemotherapy.
Thankfully Matthew was given the all clear the following Feburary. He had check ups every 3 months to monitor his progress for 2 years and now has check ups every 6 months. He will remain under the care of Southampton General Hospital until he is 18 years old.
Our family have encountered several battles with the big ‘C’ over the years; from our grandmother who survived a mastectomy at the age of 74; to close friend Claire, diagnosed with cervical cancer at the age of 32; to mischievous Matthew. In fact, since embarking on our Relay adventure, Matthew’s grandmother and Mum have both been diagnosed with breast cancer and have both undergone treatment.
The team line up has changed slightly over the past three years but the core of the team is constant and now we are known and well established as ‘Matthew’s Mates’. He is a vibrant reminder of the ordeal many are faced with; and it is for him and the memory of those who have fought for him that we are continually motivated to take part. But also, Relay Day (or as Matthew calls it: ‘his day’) is a day for us all to come together as a family, to give thanks and celebrate the fact that we are all together for another year.
Anna Hall, Little Misses...
We have ‘Relayed’ for the last three years, and each year have had a team made up of different people who have their own reasons for taking part. Some years it’s been made up by a group of friends linked by work, and other years it’s been made up friends who went to school together. Each person in our team has always had their own reason for wanting to take part. Last year we had a few team members who didn’t know each other, but it didn’t matter at all, after a few soggy laps, doing ‘Zumba’ in the sunshine, and some sleep deprived chats over a mid-night hot chocolate, you would never have known!
We might be tired after, or ache a bit, but the fun we have over that 24hours is MORE than worth it! . People make new friends whilst on the track and faces become familiar as you wander round doing laps! In the evening, the Candle of Hope ceremony is very moving and brings a real sense of togetherness throughout the entire collection of teams. At the end of Relay the following day everyone’s sharing such a great sense of achievement. Sharing the special occasion of Relay for Life is amazing no matter who you are with. Whether you want to raise money for Cancer Research UK because you know of someone specific who has/ has had cancer, a friend, a family member, a colleague, or if you just want to raise money in the hope that should your life ever be affected in some way by cancer then the cure may be found then Relay for Life is an absolutely amazing way to go about it! People who did it for the first time last year, when asked if they’d do it again, said “Where do I sign up?!”
We have ‘Relayed’ for the last three years, and each year have had a team made up of different people who have their own reasons for taking part. Some years it’s been made up by a group of friends linked by work, and other years it’s been made up friends who went to school together. Each person in our team has always had their own reason for wanting to take part. Last year we had a few team members who didn’t know each other, but it didn’t matter at all, after a few soggy laps, doing ‘Zumba’ in the sunshine, and some sleep deprived chats over a mid-night hot chocolate, you would never have known!
We might be tired after, or ache a bit, but the fun we have over that 24hours is MORE than worth it! . People make new friends whilst on the track and faces become familiar as you wander round doing laps! In the evening, the Candle of Hope ceremony is very moving and brings a real sense of togetherness throughout the entire collection of teams. At the end of Relay the following day everyone’s sharing such a great sense of achievement. Sharing the special occasion of Relay for Life is amazing no matter who you are with. Whether you want to raise money for Cancer Research UK because you know of someone specific who has/ has had cancer, a friend, a family member, a colleague, or if you just want to raise money in the hope that should your life ever be affected in some way by cancer then the cure may be found then Relay for Life is an absolutely amazing way to go about it! People who did it for the first time last year, when asked if they’d do it again, said “Where do I sign up?!”
