Pink on the Tyne Breast Cancer Now Group with Support from Colin in his Pink Dress

Ladies from Pink on the Tyne Breast Cancer Now Group and local hero Colin in his Big Pink Dress will be fundraising in Newcastle’s intu Eldon Square in aid of Breast Cancer Now, the UK’s largest breast cancer charity dedicated to funding research into this devastating disease. Pink on the Tyne Breast Cancer Now Group and Colin are going set up shop outside John Lewis and Boots at intu Eldon Square from 1^st - 4^th October from 10.30am – 4pm daily, and are hoping to raise £3,000 towards Breast Cancer Now’s life-saving research. Jan Casson, from Pink on the Tyne Breast Cancer Now Group, said: “We’re really looking forward to this year’s Eldon Square take over and we hope to raise lots of money for this very worthy cause. This is our 5th year fundraising in Eldon Square; we have been very successful and have so far raised over £12,000. This year we are excited to be joining forces with the Big Pink Dress for our 5th anniversary. Every 10 minutes, a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer and sadly every 45 minutes a woman dies from the disease. We’re supporting Breast Cancer Now because they believe if we all act now, by 2050, we can stop women dying from breast cancer.” Colin Burgin-Plews (in his big pink dress) said: “I’ve known Jan from Pink on the Tyne for a while now and I really want to help the group to raise awareness and vital fundraising; they do an amazing job. Big Pink Dress came about after my dear friend was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. It was horrible watching her go through it so I decided to try and help raise funds and Breast Cancer Now seemed to be just right for me. As we are fundraising in Eldon Square over 4 days I may wear a different dress each day!” Niamh O’Shea, Community Engagement Officer at Breast Cancer Now, said: “We wish Pink on the Tyne and Colin every success for their intu Eldon Square take over and hope that the residents of Newcastle come out in force to support them. “Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK - around 1,000 women will die from breast cancer this month in the UK alone. We’re determined to put a stop to this, but we’ll only reach that point by acting now – which is why we need the tremendous support of people like the ladies from Pink on the Tyne and Colin.” One in eight women will face breast cancer, and nearly 700,000 people living in the UK today have experienced a diagnosis. More women than ever are getting the disease, and it is predicted that 185,000 lives will be lost to breast cancer by 2030. Breast Cancer Now is bringing together all those affected by the disease to improve the way breast cancer is prevented, detected and treated in order to stop the disease and move from a time when people fear breast cancer to a generation where everybody lives.