Charity advisor’s birthday trash collection challenge

By Lindsey Turnbull

The Breast Cancer Foundation’s Finance and Programming Advisor, Martin Lancaster, decided to do something worthwhile for his 65th birthday this year, by collecting 65 bags of plastic trash from Cayman’s shorelines and rural areas over a period of months. This sponsored effort was launched in October as part of Breast Cancer Awareness month and, a month later, Martin is making great progress, having already reached an incredible CI$20,000 in fund raising.

Martin hopes that his endeavours will draw attention to the brand-new Breast Cancer Foundation website recently launched and he would also like to encourage anyone who wants to support his efforts to make a donation to the Breast Cancer Foundation.

It is anticipated that these contributions will help to bolster the Foundation’s depleted coffers arising from the postponement of its annual gala this year due to Covid-19 restrictions. One very generous supporter, Mr Louis Massicotte, got the fundraising off to a great start, with a donation of US$5,000.

Martin is using pink 30-gallon trash bags to collect the 65 bags of plastic, and, with pink the colour associated with breast cancer awareness and fund raising, they are instantly recognisable as being associated with the Breast Cancer Foundation once collected. Martin started the exercise in the Mangrove Loop at Camana Bay at the end of October and was given logistical support by Dart to aid him in his endeavours.

Since then, Martin has been traversing Grand Cayman to find pockets of plastic and has also visited each of the Sister Islands to collect plastic trash there, too. You can follow his incredible progress on the BCF social media pages.

Over this long bank holiday weekend, Martin spent the weekend in Cayman Brac picking up bags of plastic trash. He collected 22 bags in total which, as at the time of writing, brings him to 60 bags overall.

In order to assist Martin in locating concentrations of plastic trash, he is asking all supporters to please contact the Foundation by emailing info@bcfcayman.com with tips as to where large concentrations of plastic may be found on the shorelines and in rural areas. Martin has two more weekends left and, on the last weekend which is Saturday 4 December, the BCF is encouraging all BCF supporters, patients, thrivers and volunteers to come out and support Martin in collecting the last bag.