THEY came in their thousands, a steady stream of pink fluorescent hats pouring in through the gates of Edinburgh's Inverleith Park.
But although they had a gruelling night-trek through the capital ahead of them, there was a festival atmosphere as endless groups of bra-clad women – and men – were welcomed into the giant pink pavilion by drummers, stiltwalkers and masses of balloon
s.
Under the attentive care of 1,000 volunteers, more than 10,000 walkers last night took to the streets for the fourth Edinburgh MoonWalk – a midnight walking marathon to raise funds for the fight against breast cancer. The event was organised by Walk the Walk, a breast cancer charity that has raised over £46 million in 12 years by inducing 160,000 people to take to the streets of Edinburgh, London, Bristol and Newcastle to walk 13 or 26 miles in their bras.
Among those setting off on to the streets at 11:30pm amid jubilant cheers were TV celebrity Lorraine Kelly and Labour health spokeswoman Cathy Jamieson, who admitted
she was a "wee bit nervous" about completing the half-marathon, but hoped the adrenaline would carry her through.
She said: "This is the first time I've done it and it's already absolutely overwhelming, just the sheer number of women here. Everyone's in a really party atmosphere, and of course it's for such a good cause."
Now in its fourth year, the Edinburgh Moonwalk has raised over £7 million for breast cancer causes in Scotland. It has helped to fund a new Maggie's Centre at Glasgow's Gartnavel Hospital, contributed to the complete refurbishment of the breast cancer ward at Edinburgh's Western General Hospital and provided a number of scalp cooling machines which prevent hair loss during chemotherapy.
Among the walkers, who came from across the UK, many had a personal motivation for taking part. Clad in a wig and bra, David Chapman, 47, travelled from Dagenham with his wife, Hazel, a breast cancer survivor.
He said: "We did the London Moonwalk five weeks ago, and wanted to do the Edinburgh one too. Hazel recovered from breast cancer five years ago, so it's a cause that's close to both our hearts. It's nice to be doing something to raise awareness and help others in that same situation we were in."
