Last Saturday, 13th May, two of Prosperity’s ladies, Geraldine and Rose, walked a marathon through the night in London wearing only their bras! Now, just to clarify, this isn’t their usual attire or activity on a standard Saturday night – instead they joined over 15,000 like-minded ladies (and a few brave men!) at Clapham Common to take part in the 20th MoonWalk London 2017.
Walk the Walk came into being 1996 when just 13 women power walked the New York City Marathon in their bras to raise money and awareness for breast cancer. What started out as a one-off fundraising event, has blossomed into a thriving multi-million pound charity, raising to date in excess of £100 million for vital breast cancer causes.
Geraldine and Rose’s account of the event is below …
“Having spent months training and prepping for this challenge, the day had finally come! We arrived at Clapham Common as the sun began to the set on a beautiful evening. The sight of thousands of women arriving to take part in the same challenge, all dressed in fantastic 20’s styled outfits that had obviously taken hours to create, was awe inspiring. Any nerves we had of being dressed in such a way immediately disappeared as we all became united in achieving this challenge for every person affected by this horrible, cruel disease. We were all set to do it together, all ages, all shapes and sizes, united together to raise funds to help find a cure for breast cancer.
We gathered in a huge pink marquee and very quickly 15,000 individuals became a united team. The event was incredibly well organised, especially considering our number. We were able to easily access our pre-walk food, have a wonderful neck and shoulder massage, whilst enjoying live music and having team photographs. The Founder, Nina Barough, took to the stage to introduce some incredible walkers, to discuss their stories of either currently fighting breast cancer or walking in memory of a loved one, this was the start of many tears shed throughout the evening but was also extremely inspiring.
It was soon time to line up to start the walk. We excitedly took part in the count down and luckily we were at the front of the pack so we were soon on our way, supported by well wishes and the wonderful volunteers (who were angels of encouragement throughout the walk!).
The first half of the marathon literally flew by as we were treated to the famous landmarks of beautiful London, lit up on a gloriously warm and clear night. Hundreds of group selfies, giggles and smiles got us through to the middle point at St Pauls. The support of passing people in cars and on foot was incredible (some of Saturday night party goers were a bit more challenging but also helped to pass the time from an entertainment point of view!).
The ‘half mooners’ left us and we carried on (with the help of jelly beans and neurophen) through a more urban second half, through Kensington and Chelsea. Around 4:30am we were treated to a much needed boost of the birds singing and the sun rising, this really was magical, however the mile markers seemed to be taking longer to arrive after mile 20 and it became a joke with the volunteers who always seemed to promise the next marker was ‘just around the corner’, this was obviously in their training on how to motivate the walkers on!
We all had a variety of aches and pains but soldiered on remembering our own personal family members and friends that we have lost or are battling cancer, we were doing it for them!
The last mile headed back up to Clapham Common treated us to a steep hill but once at the top we could see the park and the much anticipated 26 mile marker! Full of emotions we held hands and crossed the finish line together, cheered on by the crowds. It was so wonderful to put the medal around our necks and to smile for our last group photograph. Make no mistake, it was hard, a marathon distance throughout the night but I think I speak for us all that it was simply the best night ever and would/will all do it again in a heartbeat. Bring on 2018! 😊”
Together through personal sponsorship and thanks to Prosperity’s generous contribution, the two ladies have raised a phenomenal £2,500.
Congratulations Geraldine and Rose!
