FRIENDS who inspired people across East Lothian to raise more than £60,000 for lifesaving research have scooped a national award from Cancer Research UK.

The charity’s annual Flame of Hope Awards acknowledge remarkable efforts in volunteering, and 2023 marks 20 years of the recognition programme.

Elaine Lennon, Anouska Woods and Jill MacGregor attended the awards ceremony at the Royal College of Physicians in Edinburgh last Thursday to receive the Fundraising in the Community award.

The audience heard how the Relay for Life Dunbar committee had shown exceptional dedication to Cancer Research UK by raising an incredible £65,000 through their very first Relay for Life events last year.

Elaine said: “We doubled our target, raising a total which exceeded our wildest dreams.

“Playing a part in Relay for Life Dunbar meant forming new friendships and definitely learning new skills.

“I’m so proud of how the people of Dunbar have embraced Relay for Life, throwing their energies into making it a success.

“I was honestly speechless when the Flame of Hope award letter came through the post as I didn’t know that we had been nominated.

“We’re honoured to have received the award on behalf of everyone in Dunbar.”

Elaine knows first-hand about the importance of raising funds to find new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer.

She was successfully treated for breast cancer in 2016 but her younger brother, talented musician Greig Hannan, was just 40 when he died from kidney cancer in 2007.

The father-of-three from Dunbar played lead guitar in Setting Sons, a classic punk covers band.

Elaine worked to bring the 24-hour fundraising event, Relay for Life, to her home town after taking part in Relay for Life Arbroath with her daughter Carrie Black and sister-in-law Janice Lennon in 2021.

The committee started spreading the word about their plans among local groups and businesses, and the idea soon gathered momentum as teams and individuals signed up to take part and people joined their committee to help organise it.

Elaine, who works in community planning for City of Edinburgh Council, said: “We were a very small committee so did everything between us, whether fundraising, leafleting or dealing with the logistics of the event.”

The Relay for Life Dunbar committee held its first fundraising event just four weeks after launching.

The next 10 months saw a whirlwind of fundraising including a pop-up shop, sponsored swims, afternoon teas, supermarket collections and fitness events.

Finally, the 24-hour Relay for Life walking event took place at Hallhill Sports Centre on June 25 to June 26 last year.

Elaine’s dad, Duncan Hannan, 81, who is a bladder cancer survivor, also took part.

Elaine said: “It all came together beautifully on perhaps the warmest day in 2022, when 250 individuals, comprising 16 teams, came together to take turns to walk around the track for a full 24 hours to show that cancer doesn’t sleep and neither will we.

“It was a fabulous mix of exhaustion and exhilaration.

“Relay for Life is about celebrating cancer survivors, honouring lost loved ones and bringing communities together in the fight to beat cancer.

“We had 29 cancer survivors join us, leading the first lap.”

Entries are open now for Relay for Life Dunbar, which this year is over 24 hours between June 24 and June 25 at Hallhill Sports Centre on Kellie Road.

Lisa Adams, Cancer Research UK spokeswoman for Scotland, congratulated the team in Dunbar.

She said: “These awards are our way of honouring incredible people like the amazing Relay for Life Dunbar committee, who give their time freely to raise money for research and promote greater awareness of the disease.”

To join Relay for Life Dunbar, get in touch by emailing relaydunbar@gmail.com