Portsmouth Relay for Life

Portsmouth Relay for Life returns to Portsmouth Grammar School on Saturday 18 July, and this year it's a big one: the event is celebrating its 30th anniversary. It's a 24-hour overnight relay run in aid of Cancer Research UK, the world's largest charity dedicated to saving lives through research. The format is simple: 15 teams take turns running laps around the clock, so there's always someone on the move, day and night.

It's more than just the running, though. The whole thing is set up as a mini-festival, and the 24-hour stretch is built around three things: honouring cancer survivors, remembering those lost to cancer, and raising money to help find a cure. That's the heart of it — the laps are a way of keeping the focus on the people affected by cancer while the fundraising goes toward the research.

There's a bit of local history to this one, too. Portsmouth Relay for Life started in 1997, which makes it the oldest Relay in the UK. This year's 30th anniversary marks three decades of the city coming together for the same cause. It's part of a wider Relay For Life movement that happens across the UK and around the world, where teams of friends, families and colleagues fundraise for cancer research and then gather at an event like this to honour everyone affected by the disease and celebrate the progress being made to beat it.

If you're looking for a way to get involved, the event kicks off on 18 July at Portsmouth Grammar School. It runs for 24 hours straight, with 15 teams keeping the laps going through the night for Cancer Research UK.