Thousands of women and men don disco-themed bras at the 22nd MoonWalk London!

Organised by breast cancer charity Walk the Walk, the iconic MoonWalk London saw thousands of women and men wearing disco-themed decorated bras walking through the Capital City at Midnight on Saturday 11^th May.  

Almost £3 million had been raised, even before the first step was taken by walkers proudly displaying bras, decorated with glitterballs, sequins and neon colours. Many of the male walkers highlighted Walk the Walk’s campaign that men get breast cancer too, donning their own spectacular bra creations or a specially designed t-shirt featuring a striking “blue bra”.

Many of London’s famous landmarks, including Battersea Power Station, the Coca-Cola London Eye and the IMAX lit up pink in honour of people of all ages taking part, ranging from 13 to 84.

Celebrity walkers included Walk the Walk the Walk Ambassador Harriet Thorpe, Gaby Roslin, Catherine Huntley, David Ames, Tom Read-Wilson, Alex Waterman and Leona Vaughan. 

Taking on huge personal challenges, walkers from not only the UK, but all over the world, were applauded and supported along the route, as the whole city united together to raise money and awareness for breast cancer.

Glyn Phillips from Huddersfield completed The MoonWalk London with his children and a group of friends. He said: “My wife Karen passed away in February from breast cancer which had spread to her spine and then to her liver. For the last fifteen months of her life she was on weekly chemotherapy. She was determined to keep her hair if at all possible and was helped in achieving this by the cold cap machines funded by Walk the Walk. In total she wore a cold cap 40 times. The wonderful staff at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary had completed The MoonWalk last year and told us about the work of this charity. It was the perfect thing to do in Karen’s memory and it was lots of fun. It was a huge relief to cross the finish line and we all feel very proud.”

TV presenter Gaby Roslin took part in her first MoonWalk. She said: "What a joyful time - you get to see London all lit up, meet the most incredible people, and it’s such a positive experience. You hear everybody’s stories and some of the conversations we had were amazing. I’m very lucky, because I do walk and now when I do my usual walking round London, I will want a crowd of thousands with me! Of course, there were some heart-breaking stories, and I was thinking about my beautiful friends who’ve lost their lives through breast cancer, but I think they’re probably watching me saying ‘Ha! Look what you’ve just done’!"

Nina Barough Founder and Executive of Walk the Walk. She said: “What a wonderful night, £2.8 million raised before anyone had even taken a step out of the park. Just a really magnificent start to the event, leading into the most beautiful, beautiful day. The sun shone and we had lots of happy finishers. A really fantastic MoonWalk!

Walk the Walk has raised more than £130 million since 1996, with the money granted to fund both research into breast cancer and to help improve the lives of those living with cancer now.

For more information about Walk the Walk and The MoonWalk London and to register interest in next year’s event, go to walkthewalk.org

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For more photographs and quotes, contact:

• Sally Orr at Walk the Walk: 07796 080 675 [email protected]
• Walk the Walk’s Press Office: 07922 722657

Notes to Editors:

The MoonWalk London 2019

• Saturday 11^th May 2019, Clapham Common
• Walkers completed either a Half Moon (13.1 + 2 miles) or Full Moon (26.2 miles) challenge
• This year’s theme was ‘Disco Inferno’.
• All participants must be aged 13 and over to take part
• Walkers are asked to raise a minimum of £100 in sponsorship
• This is the 22^nd MoonWalk London
• For more information, go to walkthewalk.org

Walk the Walk

• Walk the Walk specialises in fitness and Power Walking challenges.
• HRH The Prince of Wales is the official Patron of Walk the Walk.
• Walk the Walk has so far raised in excess of £130 million.
• As a grant-making charity, all funds are raised for Walk the Walk and then granted to where the charity feels they will do the most good.
• Walk the Walk funds are granted to projects that not only support research, important to all our future health, but also support a variety of projects that are supporting cancer patients now throughout the UK.
• To date grants have been made to charities and organisations throughout the UK including Breast Cancer Now, Breast Cancer Haven, Penny Brohn UK and hundreds of NHS Hospitals and Trusts for which we supply Scalp Cooling Systems. These are wonderful machines, which help many people undergoing chemotherapy to avoid losing their hair.
• The charity also has a community grant fund which each year grants to smaller organisations. Helen Rollason Cancer Charity, Tenovus Cancer Care, The Christie, Cancer Kin, FACT and others, all receive funds which enable them to continue their work.
• ‘The MoonWalk’ is the flagship event of the charity currently held in London, Scotland and Iceland.