A CALL has been made for over £100,000 in sponsorship money raised during this year's Race for Life events in East Lancashire to be handed over.

Runners at the Blackburn race, in Witton Park in June, have so far handed over £80,000 to Cancer Research.

The figure for Burnley's Race For Life, at Towneley Park in May, is £63,000.

But some have been slow to return their sponsorship money and organisers say they are still expecting £63,000 more to be donated from the Blackburn race and £43,000 from Burnley.

Organisers of the race are now calling on anybody who is yet to pay in their sponsorship money to do so as soon as possible.

Laura Taylor, Race for Life event manager, said they were taking the unusual step of making a public appeal for the rest of the money to be handed in because they were further behind than previous years.

Clarets legend Willie Irvine, who played over 100 games for the club in the 1960s, is backing that call.

He said he was very proud that 10-year-old Natalya had taken part in the race because it raises so much vital money to fight cancer.

Willie said: "I lost a friend of mine last year to cancer who I had known for 50 years. He was one of my closest friends in Burnley.

“When you lose someone so important to you to the dreaded cancer then you realise how important the work Cancer Research do is.

“Natalya was tremendous and did fantastically well but really she was doing it for her grandad.

"Cancer is a terrible disease but they are making inroads.

“Any money at all can make a difference, if you raised 10 bob or £100 then it all counts, whatever people owe I would beg them to just pay it in.”

Keen runner Natalya, who is a pupil at St John’s Church of England Primary School in Cliviger, finished the 5km Race for Life in 19 minutes and 21 seconds.

She also urged the women of East Lancashire to return their sponsorship cash.

Natalya, who lives in Worsthorne, said: “Taking part in Race for Life was brilliant, but it’s important that women now make every step count and return their sponsorship money."

Nationally, just under half the women who took part in Race for Life last year didn’t return any sponsorship money at all, charity bosses said.

Laura Taylor, Race for Life event manager, said: "We want to say a heart-felt thanks to everyone who took part or supported our participants, as well as the wonderful volunteers who helped make it happen.

“Now the big day is over, we are asking our supporters to take one last step – by returning the money they have raised so that we can go on funding much needed research.

“Without sponsorship money, Race for Life can’t fund all the research that’s needed to help save more lives.

"As the number of people diagnosed with cancer in Lancashire continues to rise, and the economy tightens, we need the support of local people now more than ever.”

Laura added: “Many women don’t realise their entry fee only covers the cost of the event and that the sponsorship money really makes a difference.

“So, whatever the amount, we’re asking everyone to make every effort to return their sponsorship money as soon as possible.

"It can be paid in online, by phone or by cheque.”

To donate sponsorship money visit www.raceforlife.org, call 0871 641 1111 or send a cheque, payable to Cancer Research UK, to Race for Life, PO Box 442, Northampton, NN3 6UU.