Faces from the Manchester business scene will take on a 12-hour danceathon in aid of the charity Prevent Breast Cancer later this month.
The team of 42 women will all be dancing for a huge 12 hours to raise money for the charity, at a special party in central Manchester. The group will take over Reform Radio for their dancing challenge and hope to raise £50,000 during the challenge on Friday 9 May. Last year, the event raised more than £23,000.
Organised by Louise Stephenson, partner at leadership advisory business DRAX, and Michelle Mullany, head of deal origination in MHA’s corporate finance team, the danceathon will bring together faces from the region’s business scene as they raise money for the charity. Other dancers signed up for this year include Kirsty Foster, tax advisory director at MHA, and seven women from the group Northern Women in Tax.
The event forms part of Louise’s plans to raise £100,000 for Prevent Breast Cancer this year, as part of her ongoing partnership with the charity through her Empowering Women Network.
Louise commented: “Last year’s danceathon was a huge highlight of my year, and I’m really excited to be hitting the dance floor once again this year. Dancing for 12 straight hours is no mean feat, but we will all be raring to go and pumping each other up to keep those toes tapping throughout the day!”
Michelle added: “Most people know somebody who has been affected by breast cancer and after my own personal story of receiving treatment in 2016, it was inspiring to be involved in the event last year – not only to raise money but also to increase awareness of breast cancer among the business community.
“This year, we want to go one better. We’ve set an ambitious fundraising target and there will be more participants and more guests, so we can support the construction of the new National Breast Imaging Academy, which will undoubtedly save lives over the coming decades.”
All the money raised will go towards helping Prevent Breast Cancer raise the final £125,000 for the construction of a National Breast Imaging Academy located adjacent to the Nightingale Centre at Wythenshawe Hospital. The Academy will train approximately 50 new breast imaging specialists each year as well as increase screening capacity in the area by up to 13,000 appointments annually.
Nikki Barraclough, chief executive of the charity, added: “We’re delighted to have the support of so many people from the region’s business community. Last year’s danceathon was great fun and raised over £23,000 for the charity and I can’t wait to join the group for some disco moves again this year! Louise has been a loyal supporter of Prevent Breast Cancer through the Empowering Women Network and we are incredibly grateful to her and all those joining the danceathon this year for their efforts.”
The event is being held at Reform Radio, a multi-award winning radio station and arts organisation using its platform to engage young people, local creatives and DJs to develop and showcase new work via their online platforms. It is being sponsored by HF Consulting.
How to donate: https://www.
