The 2026 Walk for the Cure in support of breast cancer awareness will return ton Sunday, October 4, with organisers sticking to last year’s revised route after receiving positive feedback from participants, runners and residents.
“We’ve realised that the route works, so we will continue with that route,” said Michelle Straughn, the Barbados Cancer Society breast screening walk manager, as the 15th edition of the fundraiser launched at Sugar Bay Barbados in Hastings.
The walk will begin and end at CIBC Warrens, travelling along the ABC Highway to the Hothersal Turning roundabout before returning past the D’Arcy Scott Roundabout, turning by Sol and Chefette, continuing between the CGI building and KFC and finishing at the back of Massy Stores, where post-walk activities will be held.
“The start and the finish will be the same,” she remarked. “We normally have some singers, some dancers, and some exercise. So, it’s going to be fun. And this year, we’re going to have some more fun.”
Straughn also encouraged companies and members of the public to register early, noting that team shirts are already available:
“The date of the walk is always the first Sunday in October, and this year is October 4th… Get your orders in so we can get them printed and back to you early.”
2026 Walk for the Cure shirts (LE)
Park-and-ride services will again operate from Queen’s College, Sky Mall and the Granville Williams Bus Terminal, while the run will begin before the walk to allow runners to clear the course, she said.
CIBC Caribbean’s Barbados country chief Victor Boyce, attending his first launch since assuming the role earlier this year, described Barbados as home to the largest Walk for the Cure in the bank’s regional network.
“Having seen the photos from the other nine territories where CIBC operates, I can attest to the fact that this Barbados walk is definitely the largest of them all.”
He outlined several fundraising events planned around the walk, including Pan for the Cure on October 10, Paint for the Cure on October 18 and a tea party themed on the 18th-century romance TV drama Bridgerton on October 25, all aimed at raising awareness and funds for breast cancer screening.
“But there’s a deeper, very serious underlying reason. All of these activities are done to raise awareness and generate funds to assist in the fight against breast cancer,” he said.
“We want those who cannot afford mammograms to still get those life-saving scans. In this fight, money should never be an obstacle to such routine but vital services.”
Boyce noted that through similar initiatives across the region, the bank has raised more than US$6m ($12m) over the past 15 years.
Also addressing the launch, Barbados Cancer Society breast screening programme chairperson Dr Shirley Jhagroo disclosed figures highlighting the continued demand for cancer screening services:
“At the breast screening clinic, an average of about 600 to 700 persons have mammogram screening along with approximately 150 ultrasounds every month.
The audience at the launch (LE)
“With these, there have been an average of two to three new positive cases every week. Encouragingly, the majority of those diagnosed are at stages zero to two when treatment outcomes are most favourable.”
She cautioned that breast cancer is increasingly affecting younger women.
“Breast cancer is no longer considered a post-menopausal woman’s disease. Because we’re seeing increasingly younger women being diagnosed.”
Dr Jhagroo also pointed to growing awareness among men after revealing that four men recently attended the clinic for breast examinations.
“You know what they all said? ‘Because I checked.’
“When we see them at the walk, or we see them in pink, listen, there’s a message, it’s registered: ‘We, too, can get breast cancer.’”
Echoing that message, Barbados Tridents operations chief Roxanna Forte stressed that breast cancer is not exclusively a women’s disease.
“As Dr Jagroo would have stated in the past, we do have a male cricketer who would have had breast cancer… It’s not only a female thing, it’s also for everybody.
“And so we just need to keep pushing and keep making it known and keep working hard to raise funding for a cure.”
Earlier, CIBC Caribbean walk manager Janine White encouraged partners and supporters to continue nurturing the initiative, using the story of The Cracked Pot to illustrate how perceived imperfections can create positive change.
“I don’t see any cracked pots… I see stakeholders, partners, sponsors, committee members, and people who water along the way.
“With this amazing initiative, we have [sown] seeds of hope and reassurance through the collaboration of CIBC Caribbean and the Breast Screening Programme. Our flowers are almost 30 000 strong along the way.” (LE)
