Two best friends, who battled breast cancer together, are among the hundreds of runners taking part in a 24-hour charity relay.
Mums Debbie Bryan and Stephanie Dale, both 49, joined dozens of fellow cancer survivors on the inaugural lap of the ninth annual Cancer Research UK Relay for Life.
Three-hundred fundraisers have set up camp in Highfields Park, in University Boulevard, Beeston, for event which is running until noon on Sunday July 20 and celebrates the bravery and courage of those touched by the disease.
"You don't need to tackle cancer by yourself," says Mrs Dale, a grandmother, from Hempshill Vale.
"You need your family and friends around you, they make you strong.
"I was absolutely devastated when I was first diagnosed with breast cancer but you have to start getting on with things, land look to turn it into a positive - for me that was fundraising."
The BHS worker, along with her life-long friend Mrs Bryan, has raised £39,000 for the charity through events such as tea parties and jumble sales.
She said: "Events like this are great because you can actually see where the money goes.
"Every penny that is donated to cancer research has helped all these people you can see in "survivor" t-shirts be here today.
"Without them I may not have been here and I have a daughter and a grandchild, it is a scary thought."
Mrs Dale was first diagnosed with cancer in 2008 when her daughter Kay, now 25, persuaded her to go to the doctor about a lump in her breast.
She said: "No one likes to make a fuss but my daughter practically dragged me there.
"I was diagnosed with breast cancer almost immediately."
Seven-years later she is now on the road to recovery: "I had to have two years of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, you name it, I've had it.
"It is a terribly thing to have hanging over you all that time, I still wake up now every morning thinking about it, you can't believe it won't happen again."
Her daughter said that her mum's turbulent journey to recovery has re-iterated the importance of self-checking breasts.
She said: "If I found anything, I would go straight to the doctors.
"I was only 16 when my mum was diagnosed and that is too young to lose your mum.
"It was a very tough time especially as I had to care for her a lot so we couldn't have the same teenager-mum relationship like my friends but it is a lot better now."
The news that Mrs Dale was in remission was tainted by the diagnosis of her childhood friend with breast cancer.
Mrs Bryan, also of Hempshill Vale, is still receiving treatment for the cancer she was diagnosed with three months ago.
She said: "I've had a mastectomy and reconstructive surgery.
"At first I was thinking 'why me?' but I'm feeling a lot more positive now and having Stephanie support me is amazing, she is my best friend."
The emotional relay which had teams of between eight and 15 people take it in turns to run, walk, or jog a lap, included a dusk "Hope Service" in which candles are lit for those who have lost the battle with cancer.
Staff from PureGym, are also taking part in the fundraiser, and have been entertaining the damp crowds with zumba and boxerise classes.
Gary Thomas, who is the volunteer Chair of Cancer Research UK's Relay for Life in Nottingham, said: "Relay for Life is a great way to spend time with your friends, family and colleagues while raising money for a truly worthwhile cause.
"More than one in three people in the UK will be diagnosed with cancer at some stage in their lives.
"Taking part in Relay for Life is about being part of a community united in the belief that it can make a difference and help beat cancer sooner."
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