Hot on the heels of a highly successful inaugural Weekend to Breakthrough Breast Cancer in September 2005, the UK’s leading breast cancer charity, Breakthrough Breast Cancer, has announced the dates of its London event on 15-17 September 2006 and a second event in Birmingham on 22-24 September. Aviva, the savings, insurance and investment group, is title sponsor of both events this year, making it The Aviva Weekend to Breakthrough Breast Cancer.
- Coming to London and Birmingham
Hot on the heels of a highly successful inaugural Weekend to Breakthrough Breast Cancer in September 2005, the UK’s leading breast cancer charity, Breakthrough Breast Cancer, has announced the dates of its London event on 15-17 September 2006 and a second event in Birmingham on 22-24 September. Aviva, the savings, insurance and investment group, is title sponsor of both events this year, making it The Aviva Weekend to Breakthrough Breast Cancer.
Each event will cover a distance of 60 kilometres (or 37 miles) and will last all weekend with participants camping overnight at a central location in each city where everything from tents, hot showers, hot meals, live entertainment and even massages will be on hand. The Aviva Weekend to Breakthrough Breast Cancer is a bold fundraising initiative, which will honour the lives of those lost to breast cancer, celebrate the living, and raise millions of pounds for Breakthrough’s vital research and education work.
Based on the overwhelming support shown for the first Weekend to Breakthrough Breast Cancer, which saw over two thousand walkers raise over £5.4 million for Breakthrough Breast Cancer, the charity is now hoping to attract the support of thousands of men and women again this year to take part in the two events.
Jeremy Hughes, chief executive of Breakthrough Breast Cancer, says: “The two Aviva Weekend to Breakthrough Breast Cancer events promise to be tremendously inspirational with thousands of men and women uniting in support of Breakthrough’s vision of a future free from the fear of breast cancer by raising funds and walking the 60 Kilometres. We’re looking forward to meeting hundreds of walkers who walked last year and have already signed up for this year’s walks and making new friends in London and Birmingham.”
Richard Harvey, group chief executive, Aviva plc, says: “I am proud that Aviva can play its part in taking this event to London and Birmingham in 2006. The power of this event goes beyond fund-raising. The amazing women and men who take part in these walks are sending out a powerful, positive, and inspirational message of support to anyone whose lives are affected by breast cancer”.
Around 41,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year and around 13,000 women – 35 women per day – still die from the disease in the UK. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and the disease naturally has major implications for thousands of men who are the sons, husbands, fathers and brothers who care and support the women affected by the disease. The Weekend is a great way to demonstrate that support and help raise funds to eradicate the disease. Around three hundred men are diagnosed with breast cancer every year.
Breakthrough Breast Cancer is committed to fighting breast cancer through research and education. In 1999, it opened the UK’s first dedicated breast cancer research centre in partnership with the Institute of Cancer Research and its research programme ultimately aims to eradicate the disease by discovering its causes, finding methods of prevention and developing new treatments.
The significant funds raised by last year’s Weekend to Breakthrough Breast Cancer have contributed to Breakthrough achieving real results in 2005. The charity is well on target to recruit the 100,000 women it needs to take part in the Breakthrough Generations Study, a unique study of exceptional size spanning half a century. The study will investigate what causes breast cancer by considering the effects of genetic, environmental, behavioural and hormonal factors, resulting in the most complete and reliable information on why some women develop breast cancer.
In addition, scientists from Breakthrough’s Research Centre worked closely with scientists from Cancer Research UK to identify a potential new drug, the PARP inhibitor, which could dramatically improve the treatment of patients with certain types of hereditary breast cancer and herald a new approach to targeted cancer therapy. Breakthrough’s Campaigns and Advocacy Network (CAN) is made up of individuals and organisations who are making a real difference to breast cancer services, treatment and research by campaigning for improvements and in October CAN invited the Secretary of State for Health, Rt Hon Patricia Hewitt MP, to its Westminster Fly-In and she chose this opportunity to announce that Herceptin should be made available without delay to the 1 in 5 women with early breast cancer who might benefit from it. As the drug may save the lives of around 1,000 women every year in the UK, this is a real breakthrough for women with early stage breast cancer.
Each walker will receive coaching, to help them get into shape for the 60 km walk and to help them to raise the minimum of £1,500 sponsorship.
For more information about the events or to register as a participant, please contact 0870 950 8888 or visit www.breakthroughweekend.org to request further information.
For more information about Breakthrough Breast Cancer or to make a donation, visit www.breakthrough.org.uk or call 08080 100 200.
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For media enquiries about The Aviva Weekend To Breakthrough Breast Cancer contact the Breakthrough Press Office, on 020 7025 2460 or e-mail press@breakthrough.org.uk. For out of hours, please call 07778 682 001.
Interviews with Jeremy Hughes or case studies are available upon request on a case-by-case basis.
Notes To editors:
1. In order to take part in The Aviva Weekend To Breakthrough Breast Cancer you must be aged 18 or over (or over 16 if accompanied by an adult), be able to walk the 60 km over two days and have £1,500 in sponsorship when you turn up to register for the London event on 14th September 2006 and Birmingham event on 22 September 2006. For more information, visit www.breakthroughweekend.org.
2. Breakthrough Breast Cancer is committed to fighting breast cancer through research and awareness and has established the UK’s first dedicated breast cancer research centre. The Breakthrough Toby Robins Breast Cancer Research Centre has over 90 world-class scientists and clinicians working in a coordinated effort to find a cure for breast cancer, based at The Institute of Cancer Research. For further information visit: www.breakthrough.org.uk.
3. Aviva is the world's sixth-largest insurance group. It is one of the leading providers of life and pensions in Europe and has substantial businesses in other markets around the world. Aviva's main activities are long-term savings, fund management and general insurance. In the UK Aviva operates its life and general insurance businesses under the Norwich Union brand.