BOLTON'S first ever Race for Life has so far raised £46,299 towards Cancer Research UK -- with more still to come.

Organisers of the 5 km race held at Leverhulme Park on June 22 are delighted with the amount and are urging participants who have still to send in their sponsorship money to do so as quickly as possible.

So far, just 34 per cent of the 1,200 women who ran in the women only race which raises money for cancer research, have sent in their sponsor money.

Bolton Race organiser David Martin said: "We are doing brilliantly. Our target was to raise £48,000 and we have already raised more than £46,000, which is fantastic.

"At the moment 34 per cent of the race entrants have sent their money in. This isn't bad but it's not great either, so if we can hurry people along I would be really pleased."

The charity's original target of £48,000 was based on estimates that Bolton's first Race for Life would attract around 800 women.

But the women of Bolton far exceeded organisers' expectations as 1,200 ran the 3.1 mile race in the baking hot June sunshine.

Mr Martin said they expect to smash their original cash target.

One in three people in the UK will develop cancer at some point in their lifetime. Cancer Research UK is committed to curing cancer by understanding its causes and investigating how best to prevent and treat it.

The tenth anniversary of Race for Life -- the charity's flagship fundraiser -- has been hugely successful with 300,000 women taking part in 130 events across the country. Race for Life involves women and girls of all ages and levels of fitness to walking or running a 5km course, with every penny raised going to Cancer Research UK.

The North West saw a number of new races being started, not only in Bolton but also in Wigan and Stockport.

Sponsorship can be paid online at: www.raceforlife.org, by calling the hotline on 08705 134 314 or by sending in sponsor forms with a cheque to Race for Life, PO Box 50, Crawley, RH10 9WA.