Whanganui students raise funds for breast cancer

Students Talia Eveleens (left) and Nikita Edwardson helped organise a fundraising pink ribbon breakfast at Whanganui's Training For You. Photo / Karen Hughes

There was an explosion of pink last month when retail students at Training For You in Whanganui raised money to support the Breast Cancer Foundation.

They encouraged everyone to come to the Ingestre St campus that day wearing pink, and they held a catwalk fashion parade to view them all.

The campus was decorated it with balloons and a pink 1957 FE Holden. Wanganui Toyota donated a barbecue truck and the students sold sausages and other merchandise. There were also raffle baskets and competitions and the day raised more than $500 for the foundation.

It uses any donations mostly for research, education and supporting women with breast cancer.

The Level 2 students were learning about effective communication, but the event also taught them planning, time management and teamwork skills, their tutor Reinhardt Bester said.

It was the idea of the tertiary education provider's business services manager Lindy van der Merwe, who said Training For You had a lot of females among its staff and students.

"Breast cancer is a topic that is very relevant to our immediate family of students and staff. We wanted to raise awareness of this very important issue."