“It first came to me as a dream,” says Nina Barough. The founder and CEO of Walk the Walk is recalling the beginnings of a charity that has now raised more than £146 million supporting prevention, research and those living with cancer.
Barough’s dream involved power walking the New York City Marathon in a bra to raise money. The dream became reality in 1996, when she and 12 other women did just that. “It was only ever meant to be a one-off fundraiser,” says Barough, “but that ‘one-off’ raised £25,000 for our chosen breast cancer cause.”
At that time, Barough had not experienced breast cancer but recognised what she saw as a culture of silence. “Cancer was the C-word, to be feared,” she says. Publicity surrounding the bra-wearing walkers encouraged conversation and injected fun into something serious.
“Of course, it was controversial; asking people to walk in the street in their bras had never happened before, but women do love something a little outrageous,” says Barough. A few weeks later, she found a lump in her own breast and discovered to her shock she had a grade-three tumour. “Suddenly, I was one of the people we were fundraising for,” she says. The illness, from which she fully recovered, showed her that anyone could get breast cancer.
Barough’s experiences led her to not only launch the Walk the Walk charity in 1999, but also the first MoonWalks, in which thousands of participants walk a marathon together through the night wearing decorated bras.
There is now scientific evidence supporting the preventative powers of making better lifestyle choices and being active. Encouraging this is now one of the charity’s key missions, with over half a million people having “Walked the Walk”.
“As an organisation, it is important to keep evolving and moving with science – for breast and other cancers,” she says. “It’s a great breakthrough to see that being active is now scientifically known to make a difference.” Barough stresses that walking is the simplest way to be active, with many different types to suit all abilities and ages. King Charles III has been patron of the Scottish-based charity since 2004, and Barough was awarded a CBE in 2007. “I was so honoured he wanted to support us,” she says. Not even Barough could have dreamt of that.
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