Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
A MERRY band of Bahrain expats will be stepping out for charity in the English capital on Saturday and will be proudly sticking their chests out in harmony.
The 24 dedicated fund-raisers, 22 women and two men, have been involved in an intensive 16-week training programme to become fit for the feat.
Moonwalk London is a 26.2-mile annual marathon organised by Walk the Walk, a grant-making charity that is not only dedicated to raising funds for breast cancer treatment and research but also passionate about encouraging men and women to get fitter, healthier and more concerned about their well-being.
Divina Altman, 40, a private personal trainer, from Saar, will be power-walking her way around the streets of London with her husband Paul, 55, an aircraft engineer. The rest of the party, nicknamed FAB (For All Bahrain) team, is made up of expats from various countries including Greece, Cyprus, Lebanon, South Africa, Norway, America, Ireland, the UK and Australia.
Mother-of-two, Divina said: “After a group of us participated in a charity marathon in Greece last year where we raised £12,000, we were looking for another event to perpetuate our forward-moving energy. Before Christmas we all decided to take part in Moonwalk London as it was a fun event and for a great cause.
“Also, just to clarify, the bra is a symbol for this fundraiser to bring awareness for breast cancer. It’s not just ‘Oh this group is walking around in bras’ – we all want to show unity to the cause!”
The Walk the Walk organisation started after 13 women power-walked the New York City Marathon in their bras to raise money and breast cancer awareness.
The initiative was the brainchild of Nina Barough who discovered she had breast cancer two months after the New York adventure. What started as a one-off fundraising experience snowballed into a multi-million pound charity concern, generating to date in excess of £75 million.
It costs £57 per person to register and each participant has to raise at least £100 for the cause. Over the months, the FAB team has organised fundraising events such as a bake sale and even a Sunwalk (like the Moonwalk, but staged during the day) to raise money. Add that to donations they have received online and the group has so far pulled together around BD17,000 and the amount is increasing by the day.
Mother-of-three, Tessa O’Neil, 47, from Adliya said: “We figured that since most of us have been living in Bahrain for so long that we would donate half the proceeds we make to Think Pink Bahrain and other breast cancer charities.
“It’s a win-win situation that is really enjoyable – everyone gets fit, it gets friends together and raises a lot of money for a really great cause.”
Suzanne Doughty, 40, also a mother-of-two, from Riffa, added: “We have very close ties with Think Pink Bahrain and the cause is very close to a lot of us. One of our members is a cancer survivor so what better way to raise awareness than by taking part in a challenge like this.”
The ‘FAB’ulous group’s fitness programme has included four days of two short walks, one medium walk and one long walk together at Amwaj Islands on a Saturday.
This weekend they will be celebrating Walk the Walk’s 15th anniversary. The event, themed Rock ‘N’ Roll, will feature 15,000 walkers making their way around London at midnight wearing special bras decorated by the teams. And yes, the men must wear them too! Some spotted wearing bras during their training say they found them useful to store power bars and mobile phones.
Everyone that crosses the finish line will get a medal and anyone running will be asked to leave the course without a medal. The start is in Hyde Park and all walkers will be served pasta or rice in a giant pink tent and will get a chance to enjoy a variety of entertainment before stepping out.
Those interested in supporting FAB should visit www.walkthewalkfundraising.org/fab_for_all_bahrain
