Topless runner takes half in topless swim in Devon

A most cancers survivor and campaigner has taken half in a charity swim.

Louise Butcher, who is called the Topless Runner, was among the many swimmers on the Royal Devon Hospitals Charity Topless Swim 2025 which aimed to boost funds and consciousness of breast most cancers.

The swim at Ilfracombe raised greater than £30,000 with 200 women “all proudly showing their breasts” together with some who had mastectomy scars.

Teams from North Devon District Hospital and Fern Centre most cancers wellbeing staff had been additionally on the occasion to supply recommendation about breast most cancers screening and early detection.

Mrs Butcher, who had a double mastectomy in 2022 after being identified with lobular breast most cancers, stated she runs topless to advertise physique positivity and to boost cash for Barnstaple’s Fern Centre.

She stated an enormous purpose why she ran topless along with her mastectomy scars on show was to cut back the stigma and anxiousness of receiving therapy.

Swimmers arrived at about 09:00 BST with a security briefing at 10:00 BST, earlier than the swim began at 10:30 BST.

Mrs Butcher stated elevating consciousness was vital and she or he had acquired messages of help from different ladies.

“I get messages from women every day and they give me goosebumps,” she stated.

One girl really stated that she’d adopted me and seen one thing I’d stated on certainly one of my posts and gone for a mastectomy due to it after which they’d discovered she had most cancers.

“She’s now on chemo and I literally saved a life in that sense.”

Mrs Butcher stated her recommendation for ladies could be to self-check in addition to going for mammograms which didn’t choose up all cancers.

“Keep checking once a month and also look in the mirror,” she stated.