THE Candle of Hope ceremony at Great Yarmouth's Relay for Life later this month, gives people an opportunity to dedicate candles and pay tribute to friends, family and loved ones who have suffered with cancer.

THE Candle of Hope ceremony at Great Yarmouth's Relay for Life later this month, gives people an opportunity to dedicate candles and pay tribute to friends, family and loved ones who have suffered with cancer.

Teams participating in the Relay for Life will have been keeping a relay of walking going from early afternoon, but as the evening draws in, everyone gathers to light Candles of Hope and pay tribute to those whose lives have been affected by cancer.

Bags are decorated with messages and filled with sand and a glowing candle and then placed all around the track. When the candles are lit, poignant messages of remembrance and celebration glow around the track until the early hours of the morning. People are asked to make a donation to Cancer Research UK Relay for Life when they dedicate a Candle of Hope.

This ceremony really brings home the true meaning of Relay for Life. It's a chance for everyone to remember those who have been lost to cancer and to celebrate the lives of those who have survived the disease.

The ceremony will place at 9.30pm on Saturday, July 24 as the first day of the Relay draws to a close.

Anyone is welcome to make a donation and write names and special messages on the bags which will be available on the day at the Relay for Life, or can be decorated and handed in prior to the event.

The Candle of Hope ceremony is the only time during the Relay that the teams stop walking around the track. Everyone will gather at the stage where a few words will be spoken, including a poem read by one of our VIP survivors and a song will be sung. Everyone then walks around the track in a silent lap, looking at the messages and dedications, before returning to the stage where there will be another poem and a final song.

Relay for Life will take place at Caister High School on Saturday, July 24 and Sunday, July 25. All members of the public are welcome to attend the event where there will be live music and entertainment, as well as many fundraising games and activities to take part in.

Anyone interested in dedicating a Candle of Hope should ring the Relay for Life chairman, Stephen Bower, on 07740 699233.