MoonWalk this way

Published on Friday 15 February 2008 13:10

EDINBURGH'S marathon walk in aid of breast cancer turns three this June, with funds raised so far standing at an incredible 4 million. Below, the MoonWalk founder explains how the whole thing started, and we introduce some of those taking part. If you want to join them, there's still time to put your best foot forward

When we first began the MoonWalk in Edinburgh, I don't think anyone realised how big it was going to get. Yet in just two years we've raised more than 4 million and seen a rise of over 50% in the number of participants.

In the beginning, it was about bringing a fantastic fundraising event to the capital and trying to improve the quality of facilities for breast cancer patients.

The success is a credit to everyone involved. Our motto is 'Uniting against breast cancer' and that's exactly what the people of Scotland have done, with participants descending on Edinburgh from all over the country. From our point of view it's very exciting, as it has always been our intention to support Scotland as a whole, from the smallest communities to the biggest cities.

But even with our success to date, we are never complacent. Every day I'm proud to be part of something that has made such a difference. When we started out, it was a fun thing to do that had a great benefit. Before long we started to see that, apart from raising money, it has this amazing side-effect of empowering the women and men taking part.

That's what the Walk the Walk campaign does best: it works as two sides of this incredible coin. One is the fundraising side and the other is the extraordinary effect it has on people's lifestyles.

Those who take part often use the challenge to kick-start changes to their lives: some give up smoking, others pay more attention to their diet, cut down on how much they drink or start a more regular exercise routine. All of these things have a very positive impact on their daily lives.

Someone once asked me what our target audience was. I said our youngest participant was 16 and our oldest, as far as I knew, was 84. That is what is so wonderful about it. It's not about age, it's about the common bond, a common attitude. It's about people coming together with a goal.

I've seen people cross the finish line in tears, stunned by their own achievement. And so they should be. Everyone who does it, does it with attitude and spirit. You can't ask for more than that.

There are still some places left for this year's walk and we always need volunteers – the event could not take place without either.

All I can hope is that it continues to go from strength to strength and becomes a much loved and integral part of the Edinburgh calendar.

Nina Barough, CBE, founder and chief executive of Walk the Walk

THE MOONWALKERS

BEHIND the most stark statistic concerning breast cancer – that each year in the UK more than 12,000 women die from the disease – is one that offers more hope: women in Scotland now have an 84% chance of living five years after breast cancer is discovered.

Over the past decade, the chances of survival have improved by 20%, largely due to increased awareness, early detection and treatment. And, while many taking part in this year's MoonWalk will be paying tribute to relatives or friends who have died from breast cancer, they will also be playing their part to raise funds and awareness about the disease.

Frances Graham

Frances Graham was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2001 and is currently in remission. Her sister Eve died of the disease in 2006. Yet, for Frances, 58, taking part in the MoonWalk is not about dwelling on the past but rather looking towards a positive future for those in recovery or suffering from cancer.

"I believed it would help to make a difference, so I entered myself in the walk. So many people don't see the positive side, where people have overcome the problem. My sister and I both had breast cancer. I'd like to give something back to those who helped and those who are in the same situation as we were."

Frances intends to embark on the MoonWalk on her own: "I just want to enjoy the experience and show others that breast cancer can be helped and overcome," she says. "I'm a very positive person. I've seen the disease from every side and my sister's death is still very raw. But one of the main reasons I wanted to do this walk is to say to others that cancer is not necessarily a death sentence. There are more people who survive it than don't, thanks to growing research in the field, so I think at all costs it's important to send out a positive message."

Frances is also keen to keep lines of communication open about the disease: "The MoonWalk opens the discussion about cancer to people who may never have had to think about it. I can't stress enough the importance of going to see your doctor right away if you sense something is wrong. I found a lump on the Thursday evening and was getting seen by a doctor first thing on the Friday.

"If the worst happens and you are diagnosed, take a deep breath and try to take the information in. I remember my brain was like scrambled eggs when I found out."

Frances's job as a patient relations officer has arguably helped her with coping strategies. "I was off work for ten months when I was sick and it took me a while to make sure I was ready to go back again. I remember it felt like I needed to steam-clean my head and blow away all the negative thoughts. I'd never been off work except for minor colds and the whole thing gives you space to be very self-reflective.

"One in nine people will be affected by cancer. That is a phenomenal amount and so often it's difficult for husbands, wives, partners or friends to know the best way to deal with it.

"With me it was about laying down boundaries and saying that I would talk about it if and when I wanted to but it wouldn't become the focus of our lives.

"Prior to 2001, before I was diagnosed, I used to live by this quote: 'Don't just stand there, do something'. Now I say people should not just do something but stand there and appreciate what they have and what's around them.

"The disease changes your life – there's no getting away from that. I was an active person and then it just arrived. I had this terrible thing. I say 'had' but I touch wood every day. I respect it far too much to say I'm completely cured because you just never know.

"The MoonWalk sends out an incredibly positive message. For me it says, 'Here we are, we've been to hell and back and now we stand together doing this fantastic thing.' On another level, of course, it helps raise the money that is so badly needed for research and drugs.

"What the MoonWalk says is that if we pull together, we can make a difference. Everyone knows someone who is affected by this disease, so let's band together and try to make people more aware. I could spend every day wondering why it happened to me and go on worrying about it until I'm in my 90s. But if I live to my 90s that will have been a total waste of energy, so now I just try and enjoy every day as it comes."

Nicola Cockburn

Nicola Cockburn, a 35-year-old physiotherapist, is doing the MoonWalk for the first time, in honour of her mother, who died of breast cancer. "I was inspired by all the people who have previously done the MoonWalk and also their personal stories, which I can relate to. My mother died of breast cancer several years ago. This event not only helps sufferers of the disease but brings people together as well.

"Aside from the fundraising side of it and wanting to do something in memory of my mother, the MoonWalk just looks like great fun. There is a great sense of camaraderie and enjoyment among the participants – it just seemed like a fantastic way to raise money for a good cause.

"I'm planning to do the full walk and I'm pretty active already. I'm quite fit just now – I do mountain biking most weekends, so my training has already begun. None of my friends is entering due to other commitments, but I'm sure I'll meet people on the night."

Margaret Philip

AS A retired social worker, Margaret Philip, 61, knows plenty about helping others and that's exactly what she intends to do by taking part in the MoonWalk, for the first time, this year.

Margaret lost a work colleague to cancer last year. Her daughter was diagnosed with bowel cancer three years ago and has just completed her second lot of chemotherapy. "She lives 100 yards away from me and I see her all the time," says Margaret, smiling as she thinks of her youngest child. "She is doing well and we take each day as it comes."

Although Margaret has done the Race for Life for the past three years, she was keen to take part in the MoonWalk too – to raise awareness and to challenge herself.

"It's only when you are going through it with a loved one that you realise all the shortcomings, the lack of funding, the lack of awareness, the need for more resources. The MoonWalk is just one way of taking responsibility as an individual. It makes you really feel as if you're doing something."

Margaret was forced to retire after being diagnosed with ME some years ago. Following her recovery two years ago, she is keen to use her improved health to help others. She explains: "In the last couple of years, I have started to feel normal again so this is something I can do to really prove to myself that I'm better. I used to love to walk so this is a great personal challenge as well as a very worthy cause."

Margaret plans to take part in half the walk and hopes to be joined by her granddaughter, Stacey, who has also applied for a place.

As one who has seen the disease up close, Margaret hopes the sense of camaraderie and the increased exposure of the MoonWalk will help break people's silence and encourage them to take action. "There was a time when the 'big C' was whispered about. Then, over the years, it's become apparent that more people know someone who has or has had it.

"In our case, my daughter has bowel not breast cancer. I'm keen to remind people that there is more than just breast cancer out there and that they should try to keep on top of their health and go to the doctor straight away with any concerns at all.

"There's so often a feeling that we don't want to waste a doctor's time, but hopefully breaking down the stigma and wider discussion of cancer will help people become more aware and less afraid of getting checked out. If it raises awareness for even one person, it's worth it."

Margaret is keen to promote as positive a message as possible. "I expect to be walking alongside a lot of people who are not afraid to stand up and say, 'I'm a survivor.' I think that's pretty special. All I can do is go out there and do my best, just as my daughter is." r

• For information on beating breast cancer, see www.breastcancer.org; www.breastcancercare.org.uk; www.breastcancersupport.co.uk; www.cancerhelp.org.uk; www.maggiescentres.org

For tips on how to get walking, see our in-depth guide

Realising the dream

NINA BAROUGH (right) is the woman who took a dream and turned it into an inspiring charity that has raised more than 36 million for vital breast cancer causes and transformed decorative bras into a public art form.

Thanks to hard work and a commitment to excellence, Walk the Walk has mobilised thousands of women and men to power-walk around in weird and wonderful bras in what has become a global phenomenon.

Barough's idea to brave the challenge of the 1996 New York marathon sporting a decorative bra came in a dream and she mobilised a group of 12 women who raised 20,000 to fight breast cancer.

Then the fit and health-conscious Barough suddenly discovered a lump in her breast and she was forced to put her job as a fashion stylist on hold.

She decided to continue fundraising and entered the 1997 London marathon just before having surgery. "I thought it would be the last time I'd wear a bra," she says. "I wore a black-and-gold one designed by my surgeon with the help of his daughter and I remember looking down as I walked, thinking that in a few days' time everything would be different."

Barough, who had improved her fitness by power-walking, eating healthily and taking vitamins, completed the marathon with a faithful group of friends. Her regime helped the healing process, the bras captured the public's imagination and the combination encouraged her to spread the word. This was to be the foundation of the MoonWalk, which began the following year.

The MoonWalk soon became a fixture in the fundraising calendar, an eye-catching combination of carnival, power-walking and mass empowerment. The spirit of the walkers, many of whom had suffered from cancer, shone as brightly as the bras that illuminated the London night in April 1998.

The movement grew each year and now runs four major fundraising events – the Playtex MoonWalk in London, the MoonWalk Edinburgh and SunWalk daytime challenges in Bristol and Newcastle.

"This has been an incredible journey and we are still growing," says Barough. "I am very proud of Walk the Walk. We have raised fantastic sums and it is wonderful to see how it is improving the quality of life of so many people with cancer."

Prince Charles certainly agrees. He is the charity's patron and last year hosted a special reception at Kensington Palace to celebrate Barough's achievements.

Walk the Walk has been responsible for funding substantial projects at Breakthrough Breast Cancer, the Penny Brohn Centre in Bristol, Maggie's Centres and the Breast Cancer Institute in Edinburgh. It has also launched a five-year plan with the NHS to provide Scalp Coolers in hospitals across the UK.

Barough works full-time as the chief executive of the charity, which employs 21 staff.

Why I'm doing the MoonWalk

"I really want to do the MoonWalk in memory of my two friends and my niece, all of whom we lost last year to breast cancer. I'm taking part to commemorate and to celebrate their lives.

"In 2003, 17 members of our family went to London – 11 of us did the Full Moon and six did the Half. It was a very emotional event but we thoroughly enjoyed it – walking through Hyde Park at 6am was a great experience. We raised about 20,000 between us."

"I didn't manage to get a place in last year's Edinburgh walk but I very much look forward to doing it this year."

Caroline Kummerer, 57, sales assistant

"My job involves rehabilitating people back into the workplace and through that I have met people who have had breast cancer. Getting them back to work and seeing them getting on with life is amazing. It's great seeing people recovering and being able to move on from an illness.

"At the moment, I walk with my baby in the pram every day and I'll start training properly closer to the time."

Emma Newlands, 31, occupational health nurse

"I had some friends who died of breast cancer so I'd like to do the walk in memory of them. This year I'll do the Half Moon but next year I am hoping to manage the full thing. I'm looking forward to meeting everybody and being part of the event."

Valorie Easton, 67, retired

"My mother died of breast cancer so this is a charity I strongly believe in. It's also a terrific way to get fit and is a great way of socialising and getting out in the fresh air."

Christina Jansen, 36, director at the Scottish Gallery

"This is my first MoonWalk and I'm really looking forward to it. It's nice to participate in an event like this, knowing that you're helping people – and it's great to do something that'll help you get fit."

Yvonne Wemyss, 43, housing manager

Blazing a worldwide trail

FUNDRAISING power-walkers are taking over the world in their efforts to raise money and awareness about breast cancer.

Walk the Walk is the grant-making charity which organises the MoonWalks and SunWalks. It also creates worldwide challenges for teams of women and men – always wearing the trademark decorated bras – in aid of breast cancer causes.

The challenges include a variety of destinations, such as power-walking the New York marathon and discovering the land of the midnight sun at Iceland's idyllic Lake Myvatn.

In June the Walk the Walk team will be power-walking the 40km Inca Trail to Macchu Picchu and taking part in Inti Raymi, the largest Inca festival in Peru, before travelling on the Orient Express to the shores of Lake Titicaca.

For further information on how to join the trip, visit www.walkthewalk.org

• A 26.2-mile-long marathon for a human is the equivalent distance a sperm travels to fertilise an egg (four inches)

• Added together, the number of miles covered by all the MoonWalk participants is further than the distance from the Earth to the Moon

• 10,000 people took part in 2007 in Edinburgh and at least 12,000 are expected to participate this year

• John Lewis ran out of Marabou trim last year after hordes of MoonWalk 2007 participants used it to decorate their bras

• The average person will cover a mile in 2,000 steps, so that's 52,400 steps for the MoonWalk – roughly five times your recommended daily target

• On average, you burn 100 calories per mile. That makes 2,620 calories over the course of the marathon – the equivalent of ten KitKats, eight Snickers bars or 130 Jelly Babies

• The total number of calories burnt by all the participants combined is equal to the amount consumed by the average woman over nearly 29 years

Send us your 2007 memories and your plans for the 2008 MoonWalk