Purple is one of the key Shoalhaven/Nowra Relay For Life colours and purple is the colour for hope.

Local businesses helped turn Nowra purple by  encouraging staff to wear something purple and displayed posters in their shops. 

The day encouraged a creative and fun lead up to the Shoalhaven Nowra Relay For Life event and the purple theme represents a strong message of hope for those who have been affected by cancer. 

Relay For Life, a Cancer Council event, will return to the Nowra Showground for the 14th consecutive year from March 25 to 26.

Chairperson of the local organising committee, Cathy Lucas, said they are looking forward to successful relay in 2017.

“The committee has been meeting for the past four months and we are enthusiastically looking forward to Relay for Life,” she said.

“With our theme ‘for friends, family and the future’ our focus is on why we are involved in relay and how we can support those affected by cancer so that they don't face this journey alone.”

Mrs Lucas has a strong connection to the relay.

“To me relay is a special event because it brings together all people who have been affected by all types of cancer,” she said.

“From our special guests - the survivors and carers - to friends, family, work mates and neighbours - everyone has a personal cancer story and we hope relay is a place for those stories to be told.”

Cancer Council NSW is a 96 per cent community funded organisation so every dollar raised helps go towards funding world-class cancer research that will improve treatment and support for cancer patients and their families.

Over the past 13 years the Shoalhaven community had raised a massive $2 million.

Relay funds provide free transport to treatment services as well as accommodation for people undergoing treatment at the Shoalhaven Cancer Care Centre. 

Go to www.relayforlife.org.au/nowra to sign up your team.