Breast Cancer Care was founded in 1973 by Betty Westgate, a women affected by breast cancer, who wanted to tell her story and provide support to others. Nowadays, it is the only specialist UK-wide charity that provides care, support and information to anyone affected by breast cancer. Their community of nurses, volunteers and patients works together to ensure everyone affected by the disease receives all the care they deserve. In the 2017-2018 they responded to more than 5.8 million breast cancer support requests and made a positive impact in many people’s lives.
Having had experience with breast cancer in my family and understanding the emotions, challenges and decisions faced by people affected by the disease, I decided to support Breast Cancer Care and join one of their Bucket Collections at London Tube Stations. These collections run throughout the whole month of March and volunteering for just 2 hours could help raise over £500!
I joined an evening shift at Waterloo Station. After making my way to the station reception – and having a little peek behind the scenes of the London Underground! – I joined the other volunteers and put on my own bright, pink vest and picked up a nicely decorated collection bucket. Then, we observed the flow of people through the tube stations to pick the best spots – I quickly found mine and got started. Though certainly not everyone walking past me showed interest, I was surprised as to how many people did! I quickly lost count of how many people greeted me with a smile, donated spare change and wished me a great day. I also received various compliments for my shoes!
The London Bucket Brigade with Breast Cancer Care was a huge success.
Sparing only 2 hours of my evening, I was able to raise funds to support people affected by breast cancer and make a difference to their journey with the disease.
The experience definitely brightened my day and knowing that my effort will brighten other people’s days as well makes everything more than worth it!
Written by Tanja Hann - One-Off Volunteering Ambassador.
If you're interested in volunteering at these events, take a look at upcoming collection dates this month and their special collection at Asda on 30 March. Or, visit our One-Off Volunteering Programme for other time-light opportunities that can help you make a real difference!