LYDIARD Park was transformed into a sea of pink at the weekend as thousands of women took the fight to cancer head on.

Decked out in bright t-shirts and wigs, hats, wings, tutus and more, the ‘pink army’ came out in huge numbers for Cancer Research UK’s Pretty Muddy and Race For Life events.

Saturday saw the women facing a series of mud related challenges including a slippery tire run, a climbing wall and an inflatable slip slide which dunked them into a pool of brown gooey sludge.

Friends Cheryl Baker, 28 and Katie Ellison, 30, from Walcot ran the race in luminescent pink t-shirts — or at least they were to begin with.

Katie said: “This is for friends and family members that I’ve lost. I want to raise awareness of cancer and raise as much money as possible for the charity.”

Cheryl added: “I’ve had friends and family who’ve been affected by cancer. Pretty Muddy is about being together and feeling proud when you see everyone cross the finish line together. We can’t wait to get muddy.”

The eight-strong team of Damsels in Defence, from Shrivenham’s Defence Academy, raised around £1,000 ahead of the event.

Shelena Cartwright, 33, from Stratton, had a very personal reason for running the race, as she survived cervical cancer.

She said: “I have been through this and I know how difficult it is to deal with, as well as for your family and friends. The support you get from everyone means the world. Cancer can do one.

“We start as a team and we finish as a team.”

Fellow team member Alba Goodman, 49, from Haydon Wick, said: “I am racing for my mum who has liver cancer. I will be thinking about her today — this one is for you mum.”

On Sunday, yet more women turned out in their thousands to tackle the more traditional Race for Life event - T-shirts emblazoned with the names and faces of victims, survivors, and those still fighting, showed just how personal the event is for so many.

Money raised through Race for Life allows Cancer Research UK’s doctors, nurses and scientists to advance research which is helping to save lives across the South West.