Helen inspires Brandon siblings to walk

A brother and sister from Brandon are donning bras to take on a half marathon in London in memory of a special woman.

Mandy Cooper and Martin Monk will walk the 15.1 mile course of the 22nd Moonwalk event, on May 11, in memory of Martin’s wife, Helen, who died at 48 from breast cancer.

Mandy said: “Because it is purely about breast cancer I chose it for us to do and I thought it would give my brother something to focus on after losing Helen.”

Helen, from Brandon, who worked at The Card Factory, in Thetford, was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, but after treatment it returned in June 2018 and she died in August.

The pair, calling themselves Helen’s Marching Monkeys, will participate on Clapham Common with thousands of other walkers wearing bras, including Martin, to raise awareness about the disease.

On Martin wearing one, his sister said: “My brother is a bit of an exhibitionist so it isn’t the first time.”

Helen’s sister Sue cannot join them but is the team’s bra decorator, with the walk’s theme being ‘Disco Inferno’.

The siblings have a fund-raising page and started with a target of £500 but they hit that in a couple of weeks and though they don’t have a set figure they hope they can get as much as they can.

Mandy said: “We want to help eventually find a cure and also to show that Helen was only 48 and cancer can affect anybody.”

Asking Mandy what Helen would have thought about this, she said: “She would find this hilarious, she was so outgoing, she would have loved this and would probably have done it with us.”

To donate, go to moonwalklondon2019.everydayhero.com/uk/helen-rsquo-s-marching-monkeys