Secret of the mystery ribbons revealed

Rhonda Wright, Mark McMahon and Lisa Kirkwood in Fairhill Shopping Centre promoting the Relay For Life Ballymena 2015 event.

We can now reveal that this wasn’t the work of elves from the North Pole looking to make a few bob in the post-Christmas slump but that of volunteers from the ‘Relay For Life Ballymena’ organising group!

A group of volunteers went out on to the streets to ‘Paint Ballymena Purple’ (purple being the official colour of Relay For Life) to raise awareness that the event is taking place again in Ballymena in 2015 – the only ‘Relay For Life’ event in Northern Ireland this year.

It will take place over the weekend of June 13-14 at Ballymena Rugby Club and it promises to be another fantastic year for this community event.

Gareth Wright helps to raise awareness of the Relay For Life Ballymena 2015 event as part of a team of volunteers who put up purple ribbons around the town centre

An amazing £51,047 was raised from the event in 2014 to help fund life-saving research that will help to beat cancer sooner. The 24-hour event saw 17 teams, over 300 participants and 21 cancer survivors take it in turns to walk around the pitch over the course of an entire day and throughout the night.

Lisa Kirkwood, Chairperson of the organising committee, said: “Last year was amazing, we had people from all walks of life taking part in the event and the craic was mighty.

“We are hoping that this year will be even better and see more survivors, families and friends taking to the pitch to beat cancer.”

If you are interested in getting involved in the ‘Relay For Life’ this year, whether this is as part of the organising committee or as a team member, please email Lisa Kirkwood on [email protected] or call 07702 304044.

Proceeds from the ‘Relay For Life’ will support the work of Cancer Research UK.