A sea of purple balloons delicately floated off into the sky on Saturday as Relay for Life Bendigo hosted its closing ceremony.
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Almost 50 teams took part in this year’s event raising a running total of $137,000.
Relay for Life chairwoman Teresa Jones said the teams were very passionate in their fundraising.
The Domain Village team raised more that $17,000 for Relay for Life while Team Justice raised more than $10,000. Eight teams raised more than $5000.
“We had 20 teams less than last year but a lot of new teams. They excelled in their fundraising,” she said.
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The closing ceremony is a celebration of the teams’ efforts but Ms Jones said the emotional part of the weekend is the candlelight ceremony.
“That is definitely the most emotional part,” she said.
“The candlelight ceremony brings back a lot of memories for people and walking through the night is really important.
“Last night was very still. You walk around and think of your loved ones, especially when you look at all the candle bags on the side of the track.”
More than 650 people took part in this year’s event. This year was Ms Jones’ 19th Relay for Life.
“My dad passed away from cancer, one of my brothers is a survivor of cancer and I am a survivor. My husband also passed away from cancer,” she said.
“It’s a passion. That passion to find a cure.”
Registrations are now open for teams to enter the 2018 event.
People wanting to donate this year can do so until the end of April. Visit www.relayforlife.org.au for more.