Our annual Wear It Pink day this year surpassed expectations and raised £400 for Breast Cancer Now, the UK's largest breast cancer charity.
It's the ninth year we have supported this great cause, and while it is always an opportunity to brighten up the day (literally) by wearing something pink in return for a donation, behind the fun, there's a very serious purpose, as these figures from Breast Cancer Now reveal:
- About 55,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year in the UK.
- Breast cancer can affect men too: 370 men were diagnosed last year in the UK.
- Breast cancer is the UK's most common cancer with one woman diagnosed every 10 minutes.
- One in seven women in the UK will develop breast cancer in their lifetime.
This year's £400 takes our fundraising total to more than £3,000 in the years we've been fundraising for Wear It Pink.
Our support was first instigated by HR Manager Carole Hamnett-Sadler but the cause has been championed by our Assistant Marketing Manager, Kenika Gumbs, for the past two years.
Kenika says: "We foster a compassionate and inclusive workplace here at HPP, where supporting good causes is a regular priority. Wear it Pink is an important opportunity to spread breast cancer awareness and empower those affected by it."
A new ingredient (pun intended!) in this year's proceedings was a bake and cake sale. While some colleagues brought in beautiful homemade cakes and cookies, Kenika added pink cakes, cookies, donuts, chocolate bars and canned drinks from Asda - which has partnered with Breast Cancer Now this year by donating all profits from goods carrying a 'tickled pink' sticker to the charity.
She adds: "I went around with my pink afro wig on encouraging everyone to donate for a good cause. I'm all about creating change for the better for others. And I know this will help in such a big way for Breast Cancer Now."
Over the last 30 years, Breast Cancer Now has invested over £299m (£15m up on last year) in world class breast cancer research.
It is currently funding around 100 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 'Touch. Look. Check.' regularly to spot any unusual changes.
Research commissioned by the charity, showed that 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.
