A GROUP of women from Great Dunmow are getting ready to hold a Pink Party to raise funds for Cancer Research UK. The group will be supporting the charity s new Its a Girl Thing campaign which aims to galvanise the support of women across the region to hel

A GROUP of women from Great Dunmow are getting ready to hold a Pink Party to raise funds for Cancer Research UK.

The group will be supporting the charity's new Its a Girl Thing campaign which aims to galvanise the support of women across the region to help beat breast cancer - a disease that will affect one-in-nine women in the UK at some stage in their lives.

The Square 1 Restaurant Pink Party will be on Friday May 8 at the restaurant from 7.30pm. Arrival drinks will be at 7.30pm before a three-course meal and later, a fashion show from Wardrobe, the women's retailer in Great Dunmow.

There will then be a raffle with prizes donated from local businesses. All proceeds from the raffle will go to Cancer Research UK and a percentage of the ticket price will also go to charity.

As well as raising vital funds for research, the Its a Girl Thing campaign aims to make all women aware of their risk of breast cancer and raise funds to tackle the disease which affects more than 44,000 women every year in the UK.

Event organiser, Claire Hewitt, said: "We want to support Cancer Research UK because we all know someone who has been affected by breast cancer.

"Backing the It's a Girl Thing campaign is a great way to have fun and help a really important cause."

Cancer Research UK is the largest single funder of breast cancer in the UK, spending around �45 million on groundbreaking work into the disease last year - a significant increase on the previous year, demonstrating an on-going commitment to tackling the disease.

The work covers all aspects of the disease, from understanding its molecular causes and investigating new ways to prevent and diagnose it, to developing better treatments and improving quality of life.

Everyone can support Cancer Research UK's It's a Girl Thing campaign by hosting a fundraising party or other event at home or at work.

To find out how you can support the campaign, visit www.cancerresearchuk.org/breastcancer or call 08701 60 20 40.