Lough Lene Swim in Pink takes place this Sunday

'Swim in Pink' will celebrate their fifth anniversary this year and the charity event will have a new location where swimmers can take the plunge for charity.

Last year swimmers gathered at the diving board at Portnashangan for Mullingar’s first ever Swim In Pink, this year Lough Lene will also be a location for swimmers to show support for a very worthy charity.

This year the swim takes place on Sunday, October 12, with the Lough Lene just one of many swims happening nationwide. Participants can find their nearest event on the interactive locations map on this page.

The hugely popular fundraising event is organised by the National Breast Cancer Research Institute (NBCRI) in association with Blackrock Beachwear; it has been an incredible success since its beginning in 2020.

The Lough Lene gathering is organised by Caroline Pilkington: “Having just had a new breast cancer diagnosis I thought I had better support the Irish breast cancer research with this Swim in Pink. So have organised a swim in Lough Lene on Sunday, October 12 at 1pm,” she said on her fundraising page.

The swim is part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and encourages participants across the country to dip, swim, or splash in support of breast cancer research. It has won many awards and more than 5,000 swimmers have taken part, raising over €500,000 for life-saving research.

One of Caroline's friends, Jen Gallagher, will be joining in the swim and also has a fundraising page: “Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in Ireland, with one in seven women expected to develop the disease and over 3,587 new cases diagnosed annually,” she said of the need for the charity event.

Jen said Caroline has been an inspiration to all with her approach to receiving the diagnosis: “Caroline received a breast cancer diagnosis a number of years ago. She went through treatment and came out the other side. She has always had a very positive attitude.

“Even with her most recent diagnosis she has been a warrior. Even with everything going on in her life she is organising this swim to support the NBCI.”

Researchers funded by the National Breast Cancer Research Institute, which is based at the Lambe Institute, University of Galway, are currently leading major national and international projects aimed at improving the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.

Caroline is encouraging as many people as possible to support the Lough Lene swim, either as a swimmer or a donor: “It would be great to get as many people as possible there on the day. Anyone can register and pay their €25, alternatively it is easy to donate! I do hope people can come along for a bit of craic and to support a wonderful cause.”

Caroline's Swim in Pink Fundraiser is: https://swiminpink.ie/fundraiser/carolinepilkington

Jen's is:

https://www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/jengallagher