Tomaree Breast Cancer Support Group brings community together at annual awareness event.

THERE was plenty of support for the Tomaree Breast Cancer Support Group at its annual breast cancer awareness event, with locals gathering to buy raffle tickets, hear from a guest speaker, and catch up with friends.

President Irene Jones said the event raised money to help local people, but fundraising was not its main purpose.

“The idea is breast cancer awareness,” she said.

“Everything we make is spent locally.”

Jones thanked the community for continuing to support the group, which has been helping people affected by breast cancer for 22 years.

“The locals are very supportive,” she said.

The group offers free transport to treatment and medical appointments, as well as practical help for people finding it difficult to manage at home.

This can include cleaning and laundry services during treatment, with assistance tailored to each person’s needs.

Jones said being an independent group meant they could decide how best to help people in their own community.

She also hoped to welcome more volunteers, particularly people in their fifties and early sixties.

Some members have been involved for 20 years.

Guest speaker Dawn Hillier-Davis, a member of the Woolies’ Wheels and Walk bike management team, said everyone could make a difference, simply by working together.

“It’s really about the power of people coming together and making an impact,” she said.

“Everybody doing something together can make a great collective impact in a community.”

The Wheels and Walk initiative has donated $10,000 to the Tomaree Breast Cancer Support Group to support its work. The three-day ride covers between 300 and 400km to raise money for cancer research, support and prevention.

Hillier-Davis said loneliness and isolation were challenges for people living with cancer.

As well as getting them to their appointments, groups like Tomaree’s gave them the chance to ‘talk, connect and support each other’.

By Althea GUINSBERG