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It was a pink parade at the Bahrain City Centre on Saturday morning as mall walkers and shoppers stepped out in support of breast cancer awareness month, writes Mai Al Khatib.
More than 300 women, men and children of all ages took part in a Kick Up Your Heels 3km Walkathon raising BD4,200 for Think Pink Bahrain’s education fund.
Currently, Think Pink Bahrain is funding two staff nurses from Salmaniya Medical Complex through their masters of nursing programme at Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland-Medical University of Bahrain (RCSI-MUB).
The annual event featured Fitness First instructors who set the pace for the walkers on a course traversing all levels of the mall. The most creative costume of the day was awarded to Beverly West.
Housewife Ann Ryan, 57, from Saar, gathered BD900 for the cause. She said: “I am on the committee of the Bahrain Irish society and they gave me a check for BD500. I then raised BD400 from other friends and family during the week. I would love to take part in this event again and I hope to hit BD1,000 next time around.”
Retail consultant, Mathew Thomas, 39, from Gudaibiya, said: “I never looked at cancer as a gender thing as anybody can suffer from it.
“I wanted to walk for a good cause and I will surely do it again.”
Long-time friends Reem Najeeb, 37, from Saar, and Noureen Noor, 38, from Sanad, braved the walk together in pink tiara’s and feathery boas. They are also the co-owners of a lightweight shopping trolley business known as Mallberri alongside Thajba Najeeb, 31, from Saar.
They were handing out pamphlets and Think Pink stickers to customers during the fledgling company’s three-month promotion at the mall.
Reem said: “Since childhood we have always been involved in charity and fundraisers, so it made sense to team up with Think Pink when we started our company.”
Noureen added: “It was great to see men, women and kids of all ages supporting Think Pink. The Fitness First instructor was great at pushing everyone to keep moving. I will definitely do this again next year.”
After the event, some walkers stuck around to get free medical check-ups staged at the mall’s Central Galleria courtesy of Bahrain Specialist Hospital. They were also handing out discount vouchers for mammograms and ultra-sounds.
Other stands on hand during the event included Al Zain jewellery, which designed special Think Pink bracelets that are still available at outlets in Bahrain.
*Full swing for charity, see GolfWeekly: Page 21
