THE Isle of Man has been praised for its "fantastic contribution" to this year's Relay for Life event.

It has been described as one of the "highest achievers" of the places that took part in the 24 hour fundraising initiative.

More than 400 people took part in the August event raising £43,000 for Cancer Research UK.

Ele Gibson from Cancer Research UK said: "When you look at the sum in relation to the population size this is one of the highest achievers of the Relay events. 

"The contribution from Relay Isle of Man will go to funding vital research at the Cancer Research UK Research and Oncology Centre at Liverpool. 

"The majority of research carried out by Cancer Research UK is funded by events like Relay and this is why this fantastic contribution from the Isle of Man Relay is so important to us."

Organisers of the Isle of Man event have praised the "generous sponsorship" from Celton Manx which allows them to cover the main event staging costs so that all the money raised by participants can go to the charity.

Registration for next year's event will open in January next year. Anyone who would like more information about the event or who would like to get involved can visit www.cancerresearchuk.org/relay.