Im sorry to say but I’m so disappointed… I received an email about the Pink Ribbon Walk and thought, before going on to BCC site, that’s something I could do to give back for the support I received from the forum, but on going to the information page was gutted to see its £30 to register and you must raise a minimum of £100. Sadly I can’t guarantee to raise £100 although I would like to think I have good friends who’d donate, but on top of that I can’t justify the £30 to register just now. I have not been able to return to work after my mastectomy 18 months ago (due to complications from the amount of surgery) and have had to claim for ESA then in October my partner was laid off from work and was on JSA till last week when he got a job, but it’s minimum wage and we’re barely getting by. Surely it’s better to raise something than nothing, this has made me wonder, surely I’m not the only one in this position and I wondered if anyone else has faced this problem in trying to give back? Sorry if I sound mean, it’s not intended to be I just feel deflated as I thought my friend and I could do it.
Hi Scooter,
This is posted on behalf of the pink ribbonwalk team.
Thanks very much for your message. We understand your concerns about the registration fee and minimum sponsorship for the Pink Ribbonwalks but to explain, the £30 registration fee is in place to help cover the costs we incur the full costs for holding the events, including venue hire, suppliers and staffing. Having a registration fee ensures that all of the money raised through sponsorship can go towards helping Breast Cancer Care continue to provide our support services.
We ask for a minimum sponsorship amount from each participant so that we can estimate how much we will be able to raise and commit to these services, and we feel that the fundraising sum of £100 per walk reflects the scale and difficulty of the challenge. While there is no penalty for not reaching the minimum fundraising target we do encourage all of our walkers to reach this target, and we can provide fundraising ideas and materials to help make this as easy as possible.
We do understand that everyone faces different circumstances and if you feel that you’re unable to take part in the Pink Ribbonwalk and fundraise, it is still possible to get involved by volunteering on the day. We need a huge number of volunteers to come along on the day and help us deliver the events, and being a volunteer allows you to be part of the event, enjoy the atmosphere on the day and give back, without committing to fundraising.
I hope this addresses your concerns but if you’d like to speak to someone about this in more detail please do let us know. You can contact us directly on 0370 145 0101 or pinkribbonwalk@breastcancercare.org.uk.
Best wishes,
The Pink Ribbonwalk team
Thanks for all the information, I’ll contact the team and arrange to volunteer.x