Scissorum-In-Memoriam

Weekly Newsletter 09 September 2022

This Week Merchant Taylors’

Cancer Research UK - Relay for Life writes Samay Kachalia (4ths):

At 3.00pm, peak time, there were bands playing with dancers, drummers, and many other talented musical artists keeping up the spirit. Food and drink kept us cool under the burning sun that shone directly onto the asphalt below. A highlight was the survivors’ fashion show at 4.00pm that really portrayed the confidence and happiness of those who had and beaten cancer! I was selected and felt honoured to escort one of my neighbours, Kunji Patel. At 8.30pm came the most important of all, the Candle of Hope ceremony lit with sandbags glowing brightly at dusk. Many religious leaders took to the stage to educate us about the benefits of optimism and its power towards finding a cure for cancer. Although they were speeches that mentioned different elements of optimism, they all had one key message – that when hope is present, so will be a cure. We ended with a silent lap to commemorate all the people who are enduring the cancer journey but also those who unfortunately lost the battle, to celebrate our fundraising in their names and hopes. Overall, it was an enlightening experience, not just as a means to raise funds for further research, but also to be able to empathise with and support those who have battled cancer and developed a deeper understanding of this life-changing disease. I would recommend this event to anyone in the MTS community to participate or volunteer in next year, and experience the sheer optimism required to beat cancer.

From an optimistic lens, we have emerged successful with many viruses and diseases in the past, but cancer has still proved a formidable foe. On Saturday 16th July, Cancer Research UK’s ‘Relay for Life’ took place. Many participants progressed around the running track, in large groups together, at Harrow School whilst they honoured cancer survivors and helped fundraise large sums towards extensive cancer research. The event began at 9.30am, where I helped other volunteers construct gazebos and secured them with iron hooks and ratchet clamps. Together, we began furnishing each gazebo with tables, chairs, and posts – where fundraising equipment and consumables were to be sold. After finishing with the structures, we dangled Cancer Research (CRUK) banners along the ceilings of the tents along with ribbons until, at 11.00am, everything was ready to go. Soon after, at 1.00pm, I volunteered to steward a stall where, when people walked along the track, they placed a sandbag with a tea-light inside at a designated point along the track. They would first customise or use a pre customised bag to do this, and once the sun had set, the running track would be lit up with hundreds of bags dedicated to someone with cancer or had written on them inspirational messages. My message was, ‘The hardest walk is the one on your own, but that is the walk that makes you strongest.’

September 29 2017

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