Our annual participation in this year's Wear it Pink Day for Breast Cancer Now on 20th October was a great opportunity to brighten up the day (literally) but behind the fun and fancy dress, there's a very serious message.
Around 55,000 women (and 400 men) are diagnosed with breast cancer every year in the UK.
Breast cancer is the UK's most common cancer with one woman diagnosed every 10 minutes, and one in seven women in the UK will develop breast cancer in their lifetime.
This year we raised £246 for Breast Cancer Now, the UK's largest breast cancer charity, thanks to donations on the day, which takes our fundraising total to almost £3,000 in the eight years we've been supporting Wear it Pink day.
Our involvement with Wear it Pink and Breast Cancer Now was first instigated by HR Manager Carole Hamnett-Sadler, but the cause this year was championed by our Assistant Marketing Manager, Kenika Gumbs.
She says: We believe in fostering a compassionate and inclusive workplace here at HPP, where supporting good causes is a top priority. Wear it Pink day is an important opportunity to spread breast cancer awareness and empower those affected by it."
Kenika printed awareness posters for our canteens, organised fun get-togethers so those wearing pink could have their pictures taken and decked out some of the offices in pink decorations.
Kenika adds: "Wear it Pink' day is one of the biggest fundraising events in the UK, taking place during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We are proud to join the thousands of amazing people wearing pink at work, at school and in the community.
"For some wear it pink just meant wearing a t-shirt, sweatshirt, or a tie, but some people really made a special effort - such as Shanks (Area Sales Manager Shankar Das) in his bright pink, shiny shell suit, which needed to be seen to be believed!"
Over the last 30 years, Breast Cancer Now has invested over £284 million in world class breast cancer research.
It is currently funding around 80 cutting-edge projects to discover how to prevent breast cancer, save lives, and help people to live well with and beyond the disease.
And as part of Breast Cancer Awareness month, Breast Cancer Now is calling for all women to 'get to know their normal'.
New research commissioned by the charity, reveals over two in five (44%) UK women don't check their breasts regularly (less than at least once every month, or don't know how often they check) for possible signs and symptoms of breast cancer; a worrying increase compared to last year (41%).
According to the YouGov survey, one in 10 (10%) UK women revealed they've never checked their breasts, and 13% check at least once a year or less.
If you're worried about breast cancer, or have a question about breast health, Breast Cancer Now has expert nurses available on its free Helpline on 0808 800 6000, or visit breastcancernow.org