It’s nearly October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month

As Worcestershire’s only breast cancer charity, this is one of the most important times of the year for us.  Breast Cancer Awareness Month is a worldwide annual campaign that takes place every October with the aim of raising important breast awareness and funds for those breast cancer charities that support those diagnosed.  
 
Due to Covid-19, our income has dropped significantly and will continue to do so.  All of our larger annual events such as our Open Garden Weekend and Christmas Concert 2020 have been cancelled, in addition to many other events on which we rely heavily from our wonderful supporters and fundraisers.
 
Despite this, our support continues to those impacted by breast cancer.  We continue to work very closely with the NHS Breast Care team, providing mastectomy bras to those in need, running regular Live Q&A sessions with breast cancer specialists and maintaining direct support with those who need it via phone and messaging, and our monthly support group. 

Approximately 800 women and 7 men are affected by breast cancer each year in Worcestershire and our charity is there to help each and every one.

How can you support us this October?

This year we are inviting you to get involved and go pink in whatever way you think may work best for you.  We are relying on small localised events to keep us afloat in this difficult time.  Please, get involved at a local level.  There are lots of things you can do.  

• Why not host a Pink October coffee morning for your family, friends or colleagues, whether that may be indoors, outside or even virtually over zoom!  At the time of writing we know we are unable to meet in groups of more than 6, so why not invite your bubble over for tea, coffee, fizz (pink of course), or set up your cakes outside with friends coming over in groups of 5 with different timeslots.  
• Why not utilise your street or neighbourhood Whatsapp groups (which many of us have since lockdown), letting your neighbours know you plan to do a table top cake sale, book or toy sale and donate the proceeds and asking them to get involved. 
• Challenge yourself, your family unit or friends to a target. It could be to each walk 10,000 steps a day in October, cycle 10 miles a week each or run a combined marathon between 5 or 10 of you, each donating.  Simply choose any date in October that works for you, get in the pink and help raise funds to support your local breast cancer charity.

To help inspire you, here’s what some local businesses and individuals will be doing to support us:  

• Ruth Dodwell of 76 Silver is generously giving a percentage of October jewellery sales from her Etsy shop to us (in addition to her gorgeous earrings and pendant which are dedicated to us).  
• Trio beauty salon are offering a special WBUH treatment for October with proceeds to us.  
• The Kiln workspace is hosting a Wear it Pink Day with sealed cakes to fundraise.
• Volunteer and supporter Clare Standing and her family are doing some combined 100 mile fundraising challenge (walk, cycle, run) throughout the month across the generations.  
• Another supporter has decided to utilise her street Whatsapp group to let her neighbours know she will be holding a table top cakes and local produce sale. 
• Another supporter is rounding up her hockey team to wear pink to training sessions and each make a donation.

We will continue to share Pink October fundraising stories on our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and website, so make sure you are following us to stay up to date.

How to Donate:

In order to donate, you can follow this link https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/wbuhpinkoctober and click on the ‘Start Fundraising’ button, or donate directly by clicking on the ‘donate’ button.  

Alternatively, our Fundraising Manager, Lexi Craigie, would be happy to answer any questions you may have and advise you how best to donate via cash, cheque or bank transfer.  Please contact Lexi on alexandra.craigie@nhs.net or 01905 733 786.

Thank you for your support.