THOUSANDS of women ran, jogged and walked their way around Blackburn's Witton Park last night. In doing so they were seeking to raise tens of thousands of pounds for Cancer Research UK.

Every year the Race for Life event attracts not just runners of all abilities, but hundreds of spectators cheering the participants along every step of the way. It's just one of the many events in this part of the world that show a real community spirit and a determination to really make a difference.

Last year the Lancashire Evening Telegraph's Pride of East Lancashire Awards highlighted just how many good news stories there were to tell in our communities. The awards highlighted the positive work of our many local heroes, from lifesavers and charity champions to people who simply gave all their spare time to making their communities a much better place to live.

The Race for Life showed why we were right to concentrate on the positive and the great community spirit here in East Lancashire. And as far as we are concerned, all those who took part in last night's event are fully deserving of their own Pride awards.

They are the reason why East Lancashire is such a great place to live, and why we are right to have pride in its make-a-difference attitude.