YOUR PICTURES: Northampton 2015 Race for Life selfies

More than 3,000 donned their best pink running gear during the event in Abington Park on Sunday (June 7) to walk, jog or run in a bid to raise funds for Cancer Research UK.

Michelle Leighton, event manager for the charity’s Northampton branch, said: “It was an amazing day and everything went smoothly. The weather was glorious as well, which always helps.

“At least 1,200 women of all ages took part in the 10k race in the morning, and another 3,100 did the 5k. In total they raised around £270,000.

“We also had more than 50 volunteers who turned up to help out on the day and we would really like to thank everybody.”

In the last few decades, cancer survival rates have soared as more and more research into the previously untreatable disease is made possible.

Mrs Leighton said: “More than half the people who are diagnosed with cancer now survive and go on to live for at least 10 more years. This is a huge change from 30 years ago and, in the next 20 years, we want to increase that statistic to three quarters.

“Breast cancer death rates in particular have fallen by 20 per cent and bowel cancer by at least 15. It has all been made possible by people taking part in events like this to fund research.”

See Thursday’s Northamton Chronicle & Echo for a Race for Life special report.