Katy Ross: 'The poster girls for this year's MoonWalk have a very personal reason for decorating their bras this year'

Published on Sunday 27 February 2011 12:44

HOT pink ostrich feathers burst in colourful plumes from the two women's torsos. Moments earlier Edinburgh's Inverleith Park had been filled with the lively chatter of conversation of more than 10,000 people, but now its inhabitants stood clasping hands in silent contemplation, the only sound, muffled sobs.

Debbie and Tracey Dalziel stood with their heads bowed, tears streaming down their faces. The sisters had lost their father Larry to throat cancer a few months earlier, and the memory of the funny and charismatic man to whom they had both been so close filled their thoughts.

"We were in pieces," says Debbie, a concession manager for Dune shoes at Jenners in Edinburgh. "But we knew our dad wouldn't have wanted us to be sad. In fact, if he'd seen us dressed up in all of our glory, feathers and all, he would have laughed his head off. He would have really enjoyed it."

The sisters were wearing their pink feather bras to take part in last year's 26-mile Edinburgh MoonWalk, in aid of breast cancer charity Walk the Walk, and along with everyone else in the park, observed a customary two-minute silence beforehand to remember those who have been affected by the disease.

"Everyone holds hands, and it was quite emotional," says Debbie, 39. "But taking those few moments to come together with everyone was really important. It brought home just how many people have been affected by the disease. We realised that we were part of a bigger picture and that we all had the same goal; to do what we could to raise awareness of cancer. It was inspiring."

David Graham, a make-up artist for Dior, designed costume bras with a hot pink feather theme for work colleague Debbie and her sister Tracey, 41.

"The feathers were really symbolic to me," says 26-year-old Graham, who volunteered to focus his creative flair on the costumes. "I had two aunts that I was really close to when I was growing up who both died of cancer. Ever since then, I've seen them as my guardian angels and have worn a locket with a feather in it to remember them. I asked the girls if they'd mind me including the feathers in honour of my aunts and they loved the idea. It meant a lot to be able to do my bit."

With one in every eight women now expected to be diagnosed with breast cancer at some point in their lives, the sisters were delighted to be able to raise funds and awareness in memory of their father Larry, who was 67 when he died, just two years after being diagnosed with throat cancer.

"My dad was a wonderful man," says Debbie. "My parents had been married for 44 years and my mother was heartbroken. Tracey and I wanted to do something in his memory, and as we'd always been a very active kind of family, the MoonWalk felt right. We decided to call ourselves 'Daddy's Girls'."

Despite the very serious message behind the MoonWalk, Debbie found the event was also uplifting. "It feels unusual to be starting a walk at midnight, but when you see all of the thousands of people taking part it gives you a great feeling. We met friends we hadn't seen for ages, and found new ones at the same time.

"The night went so quickly. We walked 26 miles in five and a half hours. It was 5.30am when we finished but we were on a real high. We couldn't believe we'd managed it so quickly or raised so much."

There was another surprise in store for the women when they found out a few weeks ago that they would be the poster stars of this year's MoonWalk campaign in Scotland.

"When we saw pictures of ourselves on the posters and programmes, we thought our dad must have had a hand in it," says Debbie laughing. "One friend nearly crashed his car when he saw us grinning down at him from the billboard on George Square. But it's a huge honour and we couldn't be more thrilled. We wouldn't miss this year's MoonWalk for the world. We raised 2,000 last year between us for cancer research, and this year we'd like to raise even more."

Costumes will of course be key, and Graham has already committed to producing something equally fabulous to last year's hot pink feather creation for the sisters.

"I'm envisaging something completely over the top," he says. "They are wonderful ladies so we need to make sure their outfits make a statement. We've discussed a Moulin Rouge theme; basque, suspenders etc. And I'll be sure to include some angel feathers too."

Moonwalk 2011

The MoonWalk Edinburgh is organised by breast cancer charity Walk the Walk. It is a unique event as not only do all the participants power walk a night-time marathon (26.2 miles) or half marathon (13.1 miles) depending on which distance they have chosen, but they all wear decorated bras to raise awareness for breast cancer.

Join more than 12,000 men and women at this year's event at Inverleith Park on 11 June to raise money for vital breast cancer causes in Scotland. Anybody can enter, no matter their fitness level, as it is not a race nor competitive, it is a challenge. To register for the MoonWalk Edinburgh or to find out more visit www.walkthewalk.org or call 01483 741430. Scotland on Sunday is proud to once again be media partner of The MoonWalk Edinburgh.

This article was first published in Scotland On Sunday, 27 February, 2011