Teams from all over Cornwall are being encouraged to take part in a year-long fundraising campaign that ends with a 24-hour relay.

The Helston Relay for Life event is the only event of its kind in the county south of Liskeard, meaning people from across west and mid Cornwall are being urged to get involved.

Raising money for Cancer Research UK, groups of between ten and 15 people are encouraged to hold fundraising events over 12 months before finishing with a mass 24-hour relay walk around the town's boating lake on June 13 and 14 next year.

Here there will be a survivors’ lap and a candle of hope ceremony, to remember those affected by cancer.

The organising committee is already working on providing music, stalls, competitions and plenty of fun things to do for people when they are not completing their lap.

The project has now been launched at Coronation Park, when there was music from Hand Picked and the committee was on hand to give more information about signing up.

Anyone who missed it can find out more at the committee's stall at the West Cornwall Motor Show at Wendron Cricket Club this Sunday, or from the website helstonrelayforlife.org. There is also a Facebook page, Helston Relay for Life.

Organising chairman Dave Potter said: "Cancer now affects one person in two, but whereas one in four survived cancer 20 years ago, that figure is now two in four. Cancer Research UK is determined to find more ways of combatting cancer to improve that statistic even more."