Women encouraged to leave bra at home for No Bra Day

Women are being encouraged to leave their bras at home for the day tomorrow to raise awareness about breast cancer.

National No Bra Day takes place every year on October 13 and falls in the middle of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

The awareness day started in 2011, and has since grown in popularity, with women using the hashtag #nobraday on social media to support the campaign.

The aim is to raise awareness of the importance of knowing how to carry out breast self-examinations, being able to recognise the symptoms of breast cancer and encouraging women to partake in regular screening. 

It’s also the day before The Big Pink, on October 14, Breast Cancer Care’s national fundraising day.

According to the charity, a shocking 5,000 people will be diagnosed with the disease during the awareness month.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK, affecting 50,000 Britons every year. One in eight women in the UK will develop it at some point in their lifetimes.   

Men, and women who don’t want to go braless, are encouraged to show their support by wearing something purple for the day. 

You can also show your support by donating to the Breast Cancer Care charity – or by getting involved in one of their many October events. 

This year also marks the 25th anniversary of the pink ribbon, now an international symbol of breast cancer awareness adopted by many charities across the world. 

Since the early 1990s, breast cancer incidence rates have increased by around a fifth (19 per cent) in the UK. 

However, better diagnosis, improved treatments, screening programmes and public awareness are all factors that have led to steady improvements in the long-term survival rates. 

As a result. more than eight out of 10 women with breast cancer will survive for at least five years after diagnoses, according to the NHS.