On Sunday 12th May 2024 over 160 walkers descended on Hursley for Breast Walk Ever Hampshire. Supporters could choose from a marathon, half marathon or 10KM walk, all starting and finishing at the IBM Sports & Social Club in Hursley near Winchester.
Walkers enjoyed an unseasonably warm day with just under 100 opting for the half marathon distance. As a result the fruit and cold drinks at the various rest stops were, for once, more popular than the homemade cakes!
All were welcomed back to the finish with a well-earned medal, a glass of something cold and a complimentary massage. There were special medals for all the dogs too!
Over £25,000 has been raised thus far from the event with funds going towards ground-breaking research into secondary spread breast cancer, the main cause of breast cancer-related deaths. Event organiser Richard Martin was delighted with how things went:
“This was our second Breast Walk Ever event in Hampshire and it was fantastic to see more than a 50% increase in participants in 2024 compared to 2023. I just want to say a massive thank you to our incredible supporters for spreading the word.
“It was great to have lots of our research team from the University of Southampton out on the course marshalling too! A big thank you as well to the incredible route team, who did such a wonderful job looking after the welfare of our walkers on what turned out to be a bit of a scorcher!”
The year’s walk brought some press interest too with the Hampshire Chronicle coming along to take a few snaps. They published an article that you can read here.
Following the event a survey was sent out to participants with some really positive comments coming through:
- “Great organisation, great walking route, good choice of start/finish location, the best charity”
- “The best support stops and refreshments of any waking event I have taken part in!”
- “Excellent event. Will do it again next year and bring more friends to take part!”
Photos from the day, courtesy of Stewart, Hayley and Tracy are now available here. The fourth event photographer, Teo, is currently working on a promotional video having taken footage from various spots along the course including some action from a drone!
The team are already busy planning for Breast Walk Ever Hampshire 2025 as well as the Oxfordshire walk taking place on Sunday 15th September.
Please keep an eye on the Breast Walk Ever website and the social channels for updates.