Along with all the other fifty or so groups around the UK, we hold many different types of events to raise money for Breakthrough ranging from coffee mornings to car boot sales, bingo evenings and glamorous Pink Parties and Balls. Our first event back in 2002, before we even thought about becoming a group, was a coffee morning and we raised £300 in 3 hours. We asked everyone who came to bring something pink to eat or drink – ranging from smoked salmon and dainty cakes to champagne chocolates and pink bubbly and we had friends who donated their talents in massage and manicures. We had a wonderful raffle and were overwhelmed with people’s generosity in donating prizes, and this spurred us on to bigger and better things.
In 2008 we held our first Pink Fun Ride and calculated that we might have somewhere between 100 and 120 riders – we actually had 340 which was a fantastic turnout and over £5000 was raised in one day. A local business made us the most wonderful ‘boob’ cake which we raffled and we kept all the riders fed and watered with bacon and sausage sandwiches and home baked cakes. It was a condition of taking part that riders and horses wore something pink otherwise a forfeit was payable and we had some brilliant outfits and decorations which meant that we had a sea of pink!
Breakthrough also benefit from other events held in Shropshire when organisers choose to support the charity. In 2008 the Shropshire Group of Young Farmers had a sponsored Bike Ride and selected Breakthrough as one of the recipients of funds raised. We were thrilled to be invited to attend the AGM where we collected a cheque for £4,853 – a tremendous result.
In October 2009, for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we held our first Fashion Show in conjunction with a very well known Shrewsbury retailer called Wysteria Lane. It was held at the Shrewsbury Town Football Club and was a fantastic evening. The Club donated the venue for free and it was a complete sell-out. Guests were entertained by the Naomi Payne Jazz Trio while we had a delicious supper and Shelley Jamie and the talented team at Wysteria Lane showed the most wonderful collections of clothes and accessories. We had a fabulous raffle with beautiful hampers and gifts donated by supporters and local businesses and the event was featured in Shropshire Life magazine. The evening raised £2,500 which was a great result.