MINEHEAD'S first Cancer Research UK Relay for Life got off the starting blocks and made it past the finish post to raise at least £5,000 for the charity. Ten months of planning by young mum Mandy Wilcox and a team of organisers paid off to make the event at the town's rugby club last weekend a resounding success. The 24-hour marathon saw a total of six teams of between eight and 15 people walking continuously around the club ground for 15-minute stints. Mandy and a couple of friends never slept at all. "People were camping out but in the end a few of us just kept going throughout the night, holding quizzes and various games," she said. "I'm really, really pleased with how it went and although we had hoped to raise around £10,000, the money is still trickling in and we plan to hold some more fundraising events to boost the total." Around three-quarters of the cash was raised through stunts, activities and sponsorship before the relay, which included Mandy conquering her fear of heights to walk Europe's highest ropes at Butlins. Mandy decided to stage the relay, which was replicated at other venues across the country, in memory of her stepfather who died of cancer in 2003. And the event was launched with a lap of honour by cancer survivors or their representatives, followed by a 'Candle of Hope' ceremony at dusk to remember those who have died from the disease and to honour those whose lives have been touched by it. In addition to the teams' activities, the day included music from local band Cover Up, stalls, competitions and a host of family fun. Mandy, who will be running in the Bristol Half Marathon in September to raise money for Bristol Cancer, now hopes to make the relay an annual event in Minehead, with the 2007 activities planned for May or June. The survivors' lap of honour - cancer sufferers or their representatives walked a lap of the rugby club ground to launch the Relay for Life. Photo: Steve Guscott