We have launched a new initiative – Hospitality Helps – aiming to bring hospitality businesses across the northwest region together to fundraise for cancer charities working in the area. Its first charity partner will be Prevent Breast Cancer, the only UK charity focused on prediction and prevention of the disease.
Around 55,000 women a year are diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK, making it the most common cancer in the country. That includes around 10,000 aged under 50 who are diagnosed with the disease every year. With over 3.2 million people working in the hospitality sector nationally – of whom 60 per cent are women – breast cancer has the potential to impact tens of thousands of hospitality workers across the UK.
Hospitality Helps will be an ongoing initiative organised by the Tim Bacon Foundation aimed at harnessing the power of the hospitality sector to support regional good causes. It will be launched on Friday 8 March – International Women’s Day – at Australasia in Manchester city centre, with the support of the Manchester Hospitality Network.
The Foundation’s founder Jeremy Roberts explained: “The hospitality industry has a long and rich history of helping make our world a better place. Supporting charities and helping influence amazing cities and towns were both close to Tim’s heart and have always been a key focus for the Foundation. I’m delighted to launch this new initiative aimed at encouraging the sector to join forces and make a huge difference to some really exciting and ambitious charities over the coming years.”
Jeremy continued: “Prevent Breast Cancer is a national charity with its roots in Manchester which is doing incredibly important work to better understand how breast cancer develops and what we can do to stop it from occurring. The figures are stark: over 55,000 women are diagnosed a year, of whom thousands are younger than 50 – the age at which mammogram screening begins. The hospitality sector relies on a young workforce, many of whom are women, and it’s therefore doubly important that we support this charity in its life-saving work.”
Prevent Breast Cancer is currently fundraising to build a new National Breast Imaging Academy which will be based in Manchester and which will train the next generation of breast imaging specialists across the UK. Chief Executive Nikki Barraclough said: “Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK and it’s increasingly affecting women at a younger age. It’s essential that NHS screening services are protected to allow for prompt examination and diagnosis if women are to stand a better chance of survival, which is exactly what the National Breast Imaging Academy will do by training more specialists to scan breasts and read the results.
“This is a huge project and having the support of the northwest hospitality industry is incredible, both in terms of helping us reach our ambitious fundraising target but also by educating more people about the charity and what it does,” added Nikki.
Hospitality Helps will ask restaurateurs, bars, hotels, cafes and other hospitality venues to support the charity at some point in 2024 in any way they can – ranging from a discretionary £1 donation on the bill to proceeds from the sales of dedicated menu items or bespoke events and activities.
If you can’t come to the event go here and register your interest to being part of Hospitality Helps.
