Image Credit: Oxford Pink Week
Debuting in Oxford in 2016—and running annually ever since—Oxford Pink Week returns in 2023 for another series of exciting events and initiatives aimed at raising awareness of breast cancer. With 11.7% of all diagnosed cancers in 2020 being female breast cancer according to Breast Cancer UK, Pink Week believes that it is more important than ever for the public to be aware of the warning signs and risks of such a prevalent disease.
Although Pink Week is officially running from 28th January to 5th February 2023, the Pink Week committee, led by President Lydia Tillson of Regent’s Park College, have been running events since the beginning of Michaelmas Term 2022. These events include ambitious collaborations with various organisations within Oxford, from Oxford Women in Business to The Oxford Union.
Pink Week will kick off on 28th January with the much-anticipated Masquerade Ball, complete with a range of music and refreshments sure to make it a night to remember. It will then conclude on 5th February with a laid-back jazz night at The Jericho Tavern in collaboration with the Oxford University Jazz Society (OUJS). All proceeds from the ball will go towards the five charities Pink Week is supporting this year: CoppaFeel!, Against Breast Cancer, Oxford Breast Buddy Group, Live Through This, and Black Women Rising.
Tillson told The Oxford Blue what Pink Week means to her, citing both personal experience and a desire to raise awareness as her main motivations to get involved. “My mum was diagnosed with breast cancer when I was seven. She was very lucky in that she had a mastectomy and that meant her cancer was cured. Some people aren’t as lucky, and a big thing about breast cancer is that the earlier you catch it, the more likely you are to detect it and have more successful treatment. It’s therefore really important to check your breasts and know the signs.”
On Pink Week’s collaborations with other societies, Tillson stated that the committee reaches out to societies when they “appreciate their work and want to help them raise awareness of what they want to do.” Tillson mentioned her hopes for a collaboration with The Oxford Period later in Hilary 2023 and recounted how her intention has been to reach out to a variety of societies in order to spread breast cancer awareness to a large number of people. Tillson went on to discuss a future collaboration with the university’s wine-tasting society, Bacchus, as well as the art and colouring societies. Additionally, the Pink Week committee will be reaching out to sports societies, asking them to wear pink and donate a pound.
On the process of organising these collaborative events, Tillson told The Blue: “We get in touch with who we want to collaborate with, suggest what we want to do and get out of it, ask if there’s any possibility to fundraise, and wait for the society to get back to us if they have any ideas.”
The committee focused on bringing awareness to the indiscriminate nature of breast cancer in particular this year, with 390 male cases being diagnosed each year according to Against Breast Cancer. Tillson stated that “I like to see it as an opportunity not only to fundraise, but to raise awareness and educate people. Breast cancer, unfortunately, is a very prevalent issue in the UK. This year we especially wanted to emphasise the universality of it. It’s not just women who get breast cancer. It’s not confined to just one particular race or gender—but we also need to acknowledge that different demographics in the UK have different experiences with breast cancer.”
When asked about how she juggles her responsibilities as President with her degree work, Tillson commented that “I have always done a lot alongside my studies. I quite like it because a lot of this job is admin, and for me that’s the type of work that’s different from my academic work.” She continued to praise the rest of the committee behind Pink Week, stating “[I’m] very lucky that I have the most amazing committee, so there’s never too much work on me.”
Tillson particularly emphasised the indispensable efforts of events officers Mia Thomas and Lola Bell in making Pink Week a reality. “They’ve been amazing,” she added, “they’re so on top of it. Lola’s gone above and beyond to get as many sponsors as possible.” Some other committee members have even gone outside of their assigned roles and become involved with events in order to alleviate the pressure on Thomas and Bell.
As for her plans for next year’s Pink Week, Tillson and the rest of the committee are aiming for expansion and are planning to advertise for more positions next year to achieve this. Tillson emphasised her desire to create more events positions in particular next year, having noticed the pressure on the current events officers. They plan to look for a sponsorship officer and multiple events officers, with one specifically to deal with the ball, and others to deal with Pink Week overall.
Tillson added that “it’s not an easy process, but it’s rewarding, and I can’t thank the committee enough.” Aware of Pink Week’s long history in Oxford and the responsibility that comes with running it, Tillson asserted that the committee are “treating it as a legacy” with the hope that Pink Week will grow even further. Through their tireless efforts, Tillson and her committee have maintained Pink Week as an annual event of fundraising and education to look forward to for years to come.