/ Walk the Walk / About us / Media / PRESS RELEASE - Walk the Walk makes £100,000 grant to Penny Brohn UK

PRESS RELEASE - Walk the Walk makes £100,000 grant to Penny Brohn UK

Posted on April 28, 2022

Breast cancer charity Walk the Walk's grant will help support up to 6,000 cancer patients

Charity Walk the Walk makes £100,000 grant to Penny Brohn UK for vital online cancer support

More than 6,000 cancer patients across the UK are set to benefit from a £100,000 grant made by Walk the Walk, to cancer support charity Penny Brohn UK.

Walk the Walk’s grant will allow Penny Brohn UK to continue providing nationwide online support services, which run alongside the “in-person” programme at its Bristol headquarters.

From wherever they are in the country, cancer patients can access Penny Brohn’s huge variety of online sessions and services, which have been developed during the pandemic. These include:-

  • One-to-one online doctor support, counselling and nutritional therapy
  • Phone counselling and consultations
  • Online community group sessions, including: “Resilience Room”, “Relaxation Room”, “Your Self-Care Toolbox”, Nutrition Know How”, physical activity sessions, yoga and more

Julie Worrall, CEO of Penny Brohn UK, said:

“We can’t thank Walk the Walk and those who put in the miles to raise funds for them enough. This grant is vitally needed as we drive through the changes we have introduced as a result of the impact of Covid-19. 
“Walk the Walk has been Penny Brohn’s most significant and cherished funding partner for the last two decades. We have received a transformational £21 million of funding over the years, which has enabled us to help many tens of thousands of people across the UK live well with cancer. 
“This latest grant will enable us to drive through plans we made in December last year to support the cancer community, who will be living with the impact of Covid-19 for years to come. We moved support services online and this now gives us the opportunity to provide accessible support for many more people living with cancer. 
“Everything is now online as well as face to face. The funding will support both one-to-one digital support, counselling and therapy and online group sessions for our community. Some 45,000 fewer cancer patients started their treatment last year compared to the same period pre-pandemic. This means that there is going to be continuing demand for support that people can access from their own homes over the internet.” 
A client of Penny Brohn, who is living with breast cancer, said: 

“Cancer is so much more than a medical diagnosis. So, I was determined to do everything I could to help myself. When I discovered the Penny Brohn UK website, I felt overwhelmed by what they offer, for free.  A wide range of Zoom sessions and courses for cancer patients, every week. Subjects range from nutrition, treatment support and movement classes to relaxation sessions plus individual counselling and emotional support.  They’re making my journey so much easier, giving me focus and enabling me to make informed decisions about so many parts of my treatment.”

Health charity Walk the Walk is best known for its flagship fundraising event, The MoonWalk London, when thousands of women and men wearing decorated bras walk marathons through the streets of London. This year’s MoonWalk London is taking place on Saturday 14th May - walkers can sign up for a virtual walking challenge during the day, or for the LIVE MoonWalk event, which takes place overnight. Entries are open at walkthewalk.org 

Nina Barough CBE, Founder and Chief Executive of Walk the Walk said:

“I’m thrilled that Walk the Walk is able to support Penny Brohn UK with this grant and that so many thousands of cancer patients across the UK will benefit as a result. For people diagnosed with breast cancer during the pandemic – and for those who continue to be diagnosed late as a result of it – services provided by charities like Penny Brohn UK are needed more than ever. The past two years have been extremely tough for everyone, but Walk the Walk’s wonderful supporters have continued raising vital funds during all the lockdowns, for which I really cannot thank them enough.
“You still have time to join us at The MoonWalk London 2022 on Saturday 14th May – sign up now, either for the LIVE or virtual challenge and help us continue making a difference, where it’s needed most.”
                                                                     - ENDS –

For more information and to arrange interviews, contact:

Notes to Editors

Walk the Walk

  • Walk the Walk is a grant-making health charity, specialising in promoting the benefits of Walking as an important part of cancer prevention as well as for overall mental health and physical wellbeing
  • Walk the Walk raises funds by creating and organising a variety of walking and trekking challenges across the world
  • HRH The Prince of Wales is the official Patron of Walk the Walk
  • The MoonWalk is Walk the Walk’s flagship event, held in London, Scotland and Iceland, with women and men taking on their overnight walking challenges wearing brightly decorated bras to raise awareness. 
  • The 24th MoonWalk London is taking place on Saturday 14th May 2022, starting and finishing at Clapham Common.
  • Walkers can also sign up for The MoonWalk London Virtual, taking on a walking challenge during the day on Saturday 14th May, in their own areas
  • Walk the Walk has raised more than £134 million since it walked its first challenge in 1996
  • The funds raised are granted to charities and organisations across the UK where it can achieve the most good, as well as funding Walk the Walk’s own projects.
  • Evidence now shows that being active and lifestyle choices are important factors in prevention against cancer and other diseases.
  • At this time funds are granted to research into secondary cancers and to also support front line services and the impact that Covid-19 has had on those living with cancer
  • Visit walkthewalk.org for more information and to make a donation.

About Penny Brohn UK
Penny Brohn UK is the leading charity in the UK to take an integrated and whole person approach to cancer care and support, recognising that people need more than medicine to live well with the disease. We believe in a world where every person with cancer in the UK is able to access and experience the best of integrative cancer care to improve quality of life and support better clinical outcomes. This means we promote an approach that brings together the best of lifestyle and evidence-based supportive therapies to work alongside your clinical treatment.

We have been working alongside people with cancer for over 40 years. Every year we support thousands of people to live well with cancer by finding the support that is right for them. Our work is guided by the principal that every person with cancer has the right to access the benefits that integrative cancer care brings; regardless of their cancer, their prognosis, their socioeconomic status, cultural background or where they live.

We see each person as a unique individual with their own set of hopes and needs - a whole person made up of mind, body, spirit and emotions. Everything we do aims to empower you to reclaim control of your health.

Through our team of cancer support experts, which includes doctors, nutritionists, counsellors, exercise and complementary therapists, Penny Brohn UK helps someone with cancer to feel more physically and emotionally able to manage the impacts of their diagnosis and treatment, be more in control of their choices and have the best quality of life possible.

Our services
Our programme of online services - available to anyone living with cancer - explore areas like diet, exercise, emotions, anxiety and managing stress. Sessions run every weekday and include leading integrative cancer care specialists and expert speakers, practical self-help tools and techniques, exercise, relaxation and a safe space to be together. These group sessions are delivered online using Zoom.

To find out more go to https://www.pennybrohn.org.uk/find-help/online-services/

Online Group Sessions - Penny Brohn UK
These online Zoom sessions are available to anyone affected by cancer. As a charity, we rely on donations to fund our work. If you are new to Penny Brohn UK, we recommend attending our Introduction to Penny Brohn UK. We hold them every fortnight and help you understand who we are, what services we offer and how best to access them.

www.pennybrohn.org.uk

We run a four-week course online for people in active cancer treatment and offer 1:1 consultations with specialist integrative doctors, counsellors, and nutritional, exercise and complementary therapists.

We are slowly re-opening our beautiful therapeutic centre near Bristol. The dining room is open twice a week for lunch and visitors can spend time enjoying the peace and quiet of the centre and its gardens. This year, we aim to pilot more services online and in person. These will include one-day wellbeing sessions and three-day residential retreats. Plus, a new online programme for anyone wanting to find out more about integrative cancer care and its benefits. Our pilot high-street community hub in Bristol combines charity retail with cancer advice and support.