A sea of pink will sweep through Finnebrogue Estate when it hosts Action Cancer’s Breast Foot Forward fundraising walk on Sunday 29th September.
The walk will take place just ahead of Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October and the charity is encouraging men, women and children of all ages to take part and help raise vital funds for Action Cancer’s life-saving breast screening and cancer support services.
The Breast Foot Forward Walk is Action Cancer’s flagship fundraising event that annually takes place in Belfast but this marks the first occasion of it taking place in Downpatrick.
Mark Irwin-Watson, Action Cancer’s Community Groups Executive, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be bringing the Breast Foot Forward Walk to Downpatrick. Living in the area I understand how challenging public transport can be and not everyone is able to attend events in Belfast, so we wanted to make the walk much more accessible.
We are therefore indebted to the Finnebrogue Estate for granting us special access to its grounds and woodlands in order to make this event happen. Not only is this a unique opportunity to explore the usually private Finnebrogue farmland, but it is also a chance for you to grab your BFF, or your 4-legged friend, get dressed up in pink and help raise funds for Action Cancer’s life-saving, breast screening service, with every step you take.”
Action Cancer is the only charity to provide this service for free to women aged 40-49 and over the age of 70; outside of the NHS screening age range. While each breast screening appointment is free to the user, the cost to the charity is £120.
The charity also operates complementary therapies for children and adults affected by a cancer diagnosis at Tobar Mhuire in Crossgar. All of the services provided by Action Cancer are free to the user, so fundraising events like the Breast Foot Forward Walk are so important, as they enable the charity to continue to provide these services for free to local people.
Laura Bayley, co-owner of Fodder added: “We are so looking forward to opening Finnebrogue Woods for Action Cancer and the inaugural Breast Foot Forward Walk in County Down. Being in my 40s I am within the eligible age range for Action Cancer’s breast screening service. I’m delighted to be supporting this fundraising event to help Action Cancer raise vital funds so the charity can continue to provide these very important breast screening services.”
Registration for the walk is £15 per adult and £7 per child (under the age of 18). All participants will receive a free Breast Foot Forward T-shirt, a draw-string goodie bag and that all important finishers medal. Fodder will also be providing participants with a well-deserved post-walk refreshment.
Once you have registered, you will receive your fundraising pack with all of the information you need to make this sponsored walk as successful as possible.
Councillor Pete Byrne, Chair of Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, said: “It is fantastic to have Action Cancer’s Breast Foot Forward Walk taking place in Downpatrick as it gives people from the area, and beyond, the opportunity to participate and help raise money. In the last five years Action Cancer’s Big Bus, the mobile breast screening unit, has visited the Newry, Mourne and Down Council area over 131 times which equates to over 2,751 local women having access to a breast screening.
Action Cancer receives no regular external funding so Big Bus visits like these, the complementary therapy sessions taking place in Crossgar, and all of the other cancer support services provided by the charity are only possible thanks to the generosity of the local people. So, I encourage as many people as possible, across the whole council region to register, get on your feet and put your Breast Foot Forward and help raise vital funds for this unique and important charity.”
Every year Action Cancer helps to save and support 20,000 people across Northern Ireland through the delivery of its services including the provision of 8,000 breast screening appointments at Action Cancer House and on board the Big Bus, supported by SuperValu and Centra. For every 1,000 women screened, an average of six breast cancers are detected – hopefully at an early and treatable stage.
This is only possible because of the continued, generous support Action Cancer receives from the general public in Northern Ireland and through its charity partnership with SuperValu and supporters such as Finnebrogue Woods and Fodder in the Woods.
Carol Marshall, Brand Communications Manager for SuperValu, added: “As a long-term partner of Action Cancer, SuperValu is delighted to sponsor the first Breast Foot Forward Walk to take place in Downpatrick. The event is a great opportunity for families, friends, or groups of work colleagues to come together, walk in memory of a loved one or support someone going through breast cancer, and raise vital funds for this local charity. We would also love to welcome our SuperValu colleagues and customers in Downpatrick, Crossgar and beyond to sign up and support this fantastic event.”
For further information or to register visit www.actioncancer.org, contact Mark Irwin-Watson on 028 9080 3371 / 07580 133752, or email [email protected]
