Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Pink Ribbon celebrates 25 years

Every 10 minutes in the UK, somebody is diagnosed with breast cancer, which is why Breast Cancer Awareness Month is so important.

While survival rates have significantly improved (in fact, survival rates have doubled over the past 40 years), the disease still results in around 11,400 deaths a year, and even if treatment is successful, it can have a huge and ongoing impact on people's lives.

This year also marks the 25th anniversary of the Pink Ribbon campaign - so what better time to look back at some of the achievements, events and developments concerning breast cancer, that have taken place since Pink Ribbon was born?

As the charity Breast Cancer Care notes, 25 years ago, breast cancer was a taboo topic and rarely talked about openly. One of their big aims was to change this - and Breast Cancer Care was the first UK charity to adopt the pink ribbon, which they say 'represents hope and [the] charitable generosity of people.

Most importantly, the pink ribbon represents solidarity with those affected by breast cancer.'

Here, the charity shares a timeline highlighting some of the most important points during the past 25 years of breast cancer campaigning...

1992: US businesswoman and philanthropist Evelyn Lauder initiated the pink ribbon as the symbol of breast cancer in the USA.

1994: The Breast Care and Mastectomy Association was renamed Breast Cancer Care. This reflected the general public's growing acceptance of the word 'cancer' while 'care' emphasised its main focus, distinguishing it from research charities.

The charity's Chief Executive, Samia al Qadhi, met with Evelyn in America. Breast Cancer Care brought the pink ribbon across the shores to the UK and was the first UK charity to adopt the pink ribbon, providing a much-needed shortcut to talking about breast cancer. In October, Breast Cancer Care launched the UK's first Breast Cancer Awareness Month, putting breast cancer and the pink ribbon firmly on the map.

1994: Nationwide started to sponsor Breast Cancer Care's Helpline, which meant it became a Freephone number and the first breast care nurse was employed on the helpline.

1994: Breast Cancer Care launched the Someone Like Me service. The charity now has a bank of 200-plus trained volunteers, allowing people affected with breast cancer to talk freely and regularly with volunteers who understand their particular concerns.

1997: Cherie Booth QC became Patron of Breast Cancer Care and hosted a reception at 10 Downing Street in honour of Breast Cancer Care.

1997: 33,100 people were diagnosed with breast cancer.

1998: Breast Cancer Care launches its website.

1998: It's 10 years since the NHS breast cancer screening programme was introduced in 1988, and at this point, it's estimated the programme's directly responsible for about a third of the reduction in breast cancer deaths since 1990.

2005: Kylie Minogue went public with her breast cancer diagnosis, catapulting breast cancer discussions into the mainstream.

2005: The first ever Breast Cancer Care Pink Ribbonwalk took place at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire. The walks see hundreds of people walking five, 10 or 20 miles around the UK's most beautiful countryside, stately homes and cities.

2005: The Big Pink fundraising initiative was launched; fundraisers are provided with ideas and games for a pink night-in, bake sale at work, or event in the community.

2010: Breast Cancer Care launched the first UK-wide Secondary Breast Cancer Awareness Day on October 13, raising the profile of people living with incurable secondary breast cancer.

2013: Angelina Jolie announced she had a risk-reducing double mastectomy after discovering she had the faulty BRCA1 gene.

2017: Breast Cancer Care launches its one-of-a-kind app BECCA. Full of information, support and inspiration to help people move beyond breast cancer, presented on easy-to-use flashcards.

2017: 62,000 people were diagnosed with breast cancer. An estimated 691,000 are alive in the UK after a diagnosis of breast cancer. This is predicted to rise to 840,000 in 2020.

How you can get involved

To mark the 25th anniversary of the Pink Ribbon, Breast Cancer Care are calling on people to hold a Big Pink to raise awareness and vital funds to help the charity be there for families facing breast cancer.

Get your free Big Pink kit today, including a pink ribbon at breastcancercare.org.uk/October