Somewhere in the region of 600 walkers will take to the streets in Hamilton next Wednesday for the annual fun walk which kicks off Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Last year's activities raised approximately $128,000 and this year the organisers are hoping to match that figure, Judy Panchaud White, chairperson of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, revealed.

"All of the funds from last year and this year will go to the Cancer Resource Centre which is going to be a very valuable facility," said Mrs. Panchaud-White.

"The walk is not a race, it is for people to come out and enjoy the evening, have a good time and bring their family. It starts at the Ace Headquarters (6p.m.) with registration prior to that at the BF&M building. It will finish at the flagpole and tie in with Harbour Nights and we have a whole slew of activities at Harbour Nights including Salsa dancing."

The capital campaign has made a commitment to recognise the walkers and anybody who has contributed during the Breast Cancer Awareness Month fund raising by dedicating one of the two Mammography Units at the new Cancer Resource Centre to them.

"Most of the funds come from the actual walk itself, because of the pledges and the matched corporate sponsorship, and that was our way of thanking all the ladies and men who contributed by dedicating a unit to them," explained TB Cancer and Health president, Judy Simons.

Mrs. Panchaud-White is throwing out a challenge to the walkers to each raise $250, which would take the money collected close to the $150,000 mark.

"The year before last we had about 750 walkers but I think our numbers were probably down last year because the walk took place about three weeks after September 11 and I think a lot of people were very distracted," said Mrs. Panchaud-White.

The Tell a Friend Tuesday is a new addition to the month of activities and is designed to encourage people to urge their family members, friends or colleagues to have a mammogram.

"It's actually an old thing that the Canadians introduced about five years ago and the Americans introduced two years ago, so we thought we would introduce it this year in Bermuda," said Rachel Andrade, Education Officer at TB Cancer and Health.

"Statistically it showed that at least 20 to 30 per cent who come in for a mammogram have actually done so because a friend has told them they had one done," said Ms Andrade.

"So we're encouraging all women who have had a mammogram to call at least five women she knows and encourage them to come and have a mammogram done...sooner rather than later.

"We say to them they are being proactive in saving a life. The sooner you detect something abnormal, the quicker you can have it treated, the better the outcome for a better quality of life.

"The biggest fear women have when they have a mammogram is the compression. Some people are very uncomfortable when they do have a mammogram because compression is an important component. The more you can compress the breast the better the quality of picture you will get because the flatter the tissue."

Ms. Andrade says the ability to compare good quality old films with good quality new ones can make the difference between early and late detection.

"The whole process from beginning to end is no longer than 15 or 20 minutes, with the actual compression just a couple of minutes," she explained.

"At any time during the process if the woman is uncomfortable we will stop and let her catch her breath and then try again. A lot of women who have mammograms here sometimes go up to the States for treatment or reassessment and we get praise coming back from the centres about the quality of the pictures that we are taking.

"We were the first outside North America to be accredited that is not affiliated with a health institution."

Said the president: "I've heard nothing but great comments about how our staff handle everybody who walks through the door. They are to be commended on their professionalism and their manner in which they deal with everybody."

Leslie Shane, a Case Manager at BF&M, says her company is proud to be involved as a major sponsor since the event's inception six years ago.

"From the insurance side of things prevention is the key," said Ms Shane.

"Everyone realises health care cost is escalating so when you have educational programmes out there and women are being encouraged to get mammograms and are being educated, it all filters down to what you insurance will entail.

"BF&M is committed to prevention, we have a great case management programme, we're starting to work very closely with Rachel in education programmes. We're reaching out to our community and trying to give something back, so sponsoring the walk and the other activities is very important.

"We like to think we're giving something back to the community from a healthcare perspective which is very, very important. It also gets BF&M's employees very involved."

Several other companies are also acting as sponsors for the various activities, including Barritt's who will be providing water for all the walkers next Wednesday.