Every year Action Cancer helps to save and support over 15,000 local people across Northern Ireland through the delivery of its life-saving early detection and cancer support services to people affected by cancer, including the provision of up to 8,000 breast screening appointments at Action Cancer House and on board the Big Bus.
On Friday 5th June, a sea of pink will sweep through Belfast once again as Action Cancer hosts the Breast Foot Forward Walk, sponsored by SuperValu.
This year, the charity is calling on 800 enthusiastic walkers to help raise vital funds and awareness for Action Cancer’s life-saving breast screening service.
The charity is encouraging men, women and children of all ages to participate in the fun-filled event – where dogs are welcome too! Walkers will gather at Belfast City Hall from 6pm for a lively warm-up with Fitness Freddy, plus plenty of free goodies to kick things off. Participants can choose between a 5K or 10K route, helping to raise vital funds and awareness for breast cancer across Northern Ireland.
This year’s Breast Foot Forward Walk aims to raise £70,000 to fund potentially life-saving breast screening appointments for 583 local women.
Action Cancer is the only charity in Northern Ireland offering free breast screening to well women aged 40-49 and over 70 – those who fall outside the NHS screening programme. While these appointments are free for the women who need them, each screening costs the charity £120 to deliver. That’s why taking part in the Breast Foot Forward Walk is so important. Every step helps fund this vital, life-saving service.
By taking part in this amazing event, you will help Action Cancer save more lives, lives like Bronagh Mulholland’s. Bronagh, 42, lives just outside Downpatrick with her husband and their three children, Cara (14), Ruairi (11) and Eva-Rose (6). Her breast cancer was detected by Action Cancer in 2024, when she was just 40, during a routine mammogram. Bronagh is forever grateful to Action Cancer for giving her a second chance at life and the opportunity to look ahead to many more healthy years with her husband and children.
“Action Cancer is a truly incredible charity that changed my life. Thanks to their early detection service, my cancer was caught at a very early stage, long before I would have noticed any symptoms. Doctors told me it would have been years before I felt anything wrong and I shudder to think what that delay could have meant for my future.
“I am grateful to Action Cancer for providing such an amazing service, it quite literally saved my life. Taking part in this event is my way of giving back to the charity that gave me a second chance and I am so excited to be doing it alongside my two amazing sisters. This journey means the world to me and I am proud to support a cause that continues to save lives every day.
“I am so excited to get involved with Action Cancer’s Breast Foot Forward Walk and I know this year will be bigger and better. It is a fun-filled event for an amazing cause and I hope to see you there.”
All participants are encouraged to raise a minimum of £120 in sponsorship, the amount it costs Action Cancer to provide digital breast screening for one woman.
Every year Action Cancer helps to save and support over 15,000 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. The charity needs your support now, more than ever, to continue with the work and help save lives.
Maurice Cusack, Head of Retail Marketing for SuperValu, added: “As a proud partner of Action Cancer for more than 25 years, SuperValu is delighted to sponsor this fantastic event once again. The Breast Foot Forward Walk is about community at its best – bringing together friends, families, workplaces and local groups – all united by a shared purpose: having fun while raising vital funds for a charity that makes a real difference close to home.”
Early registration is now open and will run to the end of April with a reduced price of £10 per adult and £5 per child. Everyone taking part will receive a drawstring bag for life and complementary pink t-shirt. So, grab your BFF or your 4-legged friend, get dressed up in pink, and step your way to the finish line with Action Cancer. An added bonus is that everyone who registers before 30th April will be entered into a prize draw to win an overnight stay for two people, including breakfast at the Grand Central Hotel, Belfast. So sign up, save a life, and support a friend.
For further information or to register, visit www.actioncancer.org/breast-foot-forward ,contact Action Cancer on 028 9080 3344 (option 2) or email breastfootforward@actioncancer.org