Ladies in the pink as they raise thousands for Action Breast Cancer

The town of Kells and Girley Bog became a sea of pink on Saturday as over 600 people, mostly women, took part in the first ever Pink Ribbon Walk in Ireland to raise funds for Action Breast Cancer. They travelled from all over the country, including Limerick, Nenagh, Westport and Kilkenny to take part in the fundraiser in Meath, all wearing pink t-shirts in honour of the occasion. The participants ranged in age from 16 to 76, and many had suffered from breast cancer themselves, while others were walking to support mothers, daughters, sisters or friends who are battling the disease, or in memory of a loved one who had died. Buses decorated in pink balloons ferried the participants from Kells to Drewstown House at Balrath Bury, where the event started. Many of them wrote messages to loved ones or about loved ones on pink ribbons which were hung up on a pink washing line as they undertook their walk. Mr Motivator, Sydney Brito, encouraged the participants in their warm-up exercises on the lawn of Drewstown House before they set out on the 10km walk around the lake. RTE news anchorman, Bryan Dobson, started off the runners and the winner of that competitive event was local woman, Mary Carty. Local man and RTE DJ, Damien Farrelly, started off the walk an hour later when participants proceeded at a more leisurely pace as tenor, Matthew Gilsenan, serenaded them. All of the money raised will go to Action Breast Cancer.