Put a spring in your step to beat cancer

Feb 19 2008 By Diane Parkes

LOOKING for an excuse to enjoy the spring weather?

Breakthrough Breast Cancer has the perfect answer with its Crocus Walk.

Aiming to encourage people to get outside and on to their feet, the event also aims to raise cash for the national charity.

The idea is simple as a Crocus Walk can be organised any time and any place this spring.

Whether you head to the hills to enjoy the greenery reappearing now winter is on its way out or whether you prefer a walk round your local park or city centre, the purpose is a stroll, ramble or walk.

And with walking being a great exercise to help reduce the risk of a number of cancers the event sees the charity aiming at prevention as much as cure.

"Crocuses are one of the first spring flowers to bloom, adding hope and colour after a cold winter," says a charity spokesman.

"In the same way, the work of Breakthrough Breast Cancer gives hope to the 44,000 women who are diagnosed with breast cancer each year in the UK."

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in the UK, affecting one in nine women at some point during their lifetime.

And while the disease still kills more than 1,000 women every month, improved detection and treatment continues to reduce that statistic.

Anyone can organise and register a walk and as an added incentive, the charity is offering organisers the chance to win a weekend away for two.

To register a walk, call 020 7025 2422 for a free fundraising guide or visit www.crocuswalk.org.uk