Big numbers expected for Walk for the Cure

Organisers of the CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank Walk for the Cure say the event could attract as many as 20 000 participants this year.

Walk Manager for the Breast Screening Programme Michelle Straughn explained during a site visit on Thursday at the National Botanical Gardens ahead of Sunday’s event, that the support so far indicated that after two years of having the event virtually, people were ready to get back on the road.

“At this stage, most of the shirts we had for this year are out. We are trying to fulfil as many orders as possible but this year the support has been tremendous,” she said.

“The official numbers in 2019 were 15 000-plus. We suspect that from the buzz that is out there – and people have been telling me this – that we expect that it will be more than that this year, that it will be close to 20 000 that we think that we will get.”

FirstCaribbean International Bank Walk Manager Shakida Grant also told Barbados TODAY that Barbadians have been purchasing Breast Cancer Awareness shirts at a rapid rate.

“We’re very hopeful . . . . Shirts right now are going like hotcakes and people want to ensure they can get their shirts. We have shirts available in both pink and white and we want to ensure that people have their shirts,” she said.

Meanwhile, Straughn said sponsorship had not been hard to come by this year, with many interested partners volunteering to contribute to the important cause.

“This year we have such a tremendous outpouring from companies in Barbados. A number of companies who [did not get logos] on the back of the shirts have been asking,” she said.

Straughn explained that the National Botanical Gardens was chosen as the assembly and after-walk activity location this year as it was felt the space in the car park at Warrens, the usual spot, would be insufficient.

“When you start to get up to those numbers it is very hard to keep it in the car park, so with the National Botanical Gardens being the national gardens for the people of Barbados, we felt that it was good to bring it here [as] persons can come here to relax. We felt with the space we have here that it would be best,” she added. (MR)