IN glorious summer sunshine almost 2,000 women took part in Winchester's biggest ever Race for Life yesterday all for one common cause.

Urged on by thousands more supporters, the participants ran, jogged and walked around the 5km course at the city's River Park Leisure Centre to raise as much cash as possible for Cancer Research UK.

The turnout was almost double what organisers initially hoped for, and shows the on-going success of the UK's largest women-only event.

More than half of the runners showed their connection to the cause by sporting placards tied to their back with the name of a loved one who had died from the disease.

Organisers say they hope the event will have raised at least £100,000, up from the £62,000 total for last year, while sales of the charity's support bracelets could push that total even higher.

For the full story, and a list of all those who took part, see tomorrow's Daily Echo.