Welshpool goes for ‘bust’ in cancer fight!

An uplifting initiative has been launched by Welshpool Rotary that aims to raise funds for cancer charities, whilst reducing cases of sexual assault and harassment on the African continent.

The club has taken on the task of collecting old and unloved bras in and around Welshpool as one of its Environmental and International projects this year.

Washed bras in any condition can be dropped at the Morrisons Welshpool store, where a pink Against Breast Cancer Bra Banks bin is located.

This initiative keeps these valuable textiles out of land fill, whilst helping support Against Breast Cancer and families in Africa.

“When you drop a bra in one of our Bra Banks, your bras will be whisked away to start a new life on another part of the world – Africa!” a spokesperson told us.

“Here they are used to support small businesses for African women to help their families by selling the bras in the markets in places such as Togo, Ghana and Kenya.

“Bras are impossibly expensive to make and buy in places like Africa. One of the unexpected gains of the initiative, now that these bras are affordable in town markets, is that more women are now wearing bras and sexual assault has gone down in those areas.”

Many of the bras are resalable as they are, but some are taken apart by the local women and remade as cottage industries. The ones that are not reusable in any way are broken down and recycled as cotton waste and metal.

So how does it work?

Against Breast Cancer have teamed up with a UK recycling company who help small businesses in Africa. The recycling company bale-up the bras for export and donate £700 to cancer research for every metric ton of bras collected, that’s only 9,000 bras! With over 30 million women in the UK, you could really help make a difference.

Welshpool Rotary is ready to welcome individuals and couples of 18+ from the local community who want to be “people of action”.  They meet at the Royal Oak on every other Wednesday at 12.30pm and meet in the bar. The exact meeting dates and programme can be found on their web site.

For more information, contact Mike Lade on 07803 038858, welshpoolrotary@gmail.com or see www.welshpoolrotary.com. Also on Facebook @rotaryinwelshpool.

PICTURE: Morrisons team leader Alison Bowen with the Bra Bin in the entrance area.