‘Walk in Pink’ set for Bailieboro
Bailieborough woman Julieanne Meade is organising a fundraising event for ‘Walk in Pink’, which will coincide with Mothers' Day 2025.
The walk tomorrow (Sunday), March 30, is a national event, which aims to raise some much-needed funds for the Breast Cancer Research Institute (BCRI), which is based in Galway.
While online, Julianne, who runs Barbells and Babies, was disappointed to discover there was no walk taking place in the north east region and the nearest one to Cavan was Mullingar. She quickly set about establishing a local walk for this very worthy cause.
“I decided to organise a walk in Bailieborough on Mothers' Day,” she told the Celt this week. “It’s open to absolutely everyone and all monies raised will go to the National Breast Cancer Institute.”
The walk will start and finish at Nomad Coffee in the heart of Bailieborough Town. “I’ve organised the walk in conjunction with Nomad Coffee in Bailieborough so that the walk will start and finish there; there is a footpath from Nomad that goes the whole way out to Castle Lake; we’ll do a short loop around Castle Lake and then return to Nomad.”
Initially, Julieanne had planned for a 7.5km walk on the day but, on closer inspection, she discovered the route had been badly impacted by Storm Eowyn. “It’s still not possible to walk it, so I had to change things around a little,” she explained.
“When we all return, we’ll have coffee and chats, which will be really nice for everybody. Nomad will have special offers on the day for those participating in the walk.”
Julieanne feels the initiative is so worthwhile as she knows a number of women who have survived breast cancer. “I think it's a very nice thing to do locally; the Breast Cancer Research Institute relies on donations; it doesn’t get government funding and I also felt that running the walk on Mothers' Day was also poignant given that so many women are impacted by breast cancer,” she explained.
“In fact there are so many people that I know locally who have had breast cancer, are going through treatment or are currently recovering from the illness. The Institute focuses on treatment and diagnostics and so I feel the walk is a really brilliant way to raise funds for all of that.”
To register, log onto www.walkinpink.ie and look for Team Barbells and Babies. It costs €25 and, once registration is completed, a pink beanie hat will be on its way! Julieanne has also set up an iDonate page where people can contribute accordingly and the advice is to just show up on the day wearing pink.
The National Breast Cancer Research Institute is a national charity that funds a comprehensive research programme at the University of Galway. Research has improved the diagnosis, treatment options and outcomes for those who develop the disease. By funding this research, the organisation aims to positively impact future outcomes for breast cancer patients.