Breast Cancer Awareness Month celebrity designed ducks

Cancer Research UK’s ducks are back… this time with a celebrity twist! Cancer Research UK’s breast cancer awareness ducks for 2008 have been designed by Sharon Osbourne, Twiggy and Barbara Hulanicki. They are available in the charity’s high street shops and and from our online shop. For the first time this year, they are also available to download as exclusive screensavers for your mobile phone.

Cancer Research UK’s breast cancer awareness ducks for 2008 have been designed by Sharon Osbourne, Twiggy and Barbara Hulanicki. They are available in the charity’s high street shops and from our online shop. For the first time this year, they are also available to download as exclusive screensavers for your mobile phone.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and for Cancer Research UK’s 2008 campaign, It’s a girl thing, the ducks have been given a celebrity makeover by Sharon Osbourne, Twiggy and legendary Biba designer Barbara Hulanicki.

‘Bones’ designed by Sharon, ‘Duckie’ designed by Twiggy and ‘Garbo’ designed by Barbara will fly into 600 Cancer Research UK shops across the country from 8 September 2008 and will be on sale for just £4.99 each. You can also buy them online at the charity’s breast cancer awareness website.

And for the first time this year, supporters will be able to raise money for research into breast cancer by opting to receive their ducks on their mobile phones as super-cute animations via text (£2, with minimum of £1.23 to Cancer Research UK – see text details in notes to editors). These exclusive downloads make the perfect declaration of support for Breast Cancer Awareness Month for anyone with a mobile phone.

For those who prefer something a little more exclusive, there will be a limited number of ducks, signed by Sharon, Twiggy and Barbara, available to bid for on Cancer Research UK’s eBay site from 4 September 2008. All proceeds from the sale of the ducks will go towards the charity’s vital work to help beat cancer.

Not only are the celebrity-designed ducks a collector’s item and perfect addition to any bathroom, but they also come with important information on how to be breast aware.

Dr Lesley Walker, director of cancer information at Cancer Research UK said: “We really encourage all women to get to know their breasts and take time to check for any changes. Taking a bath is a perfect time to do this.”

This year there’s a duck for everyone and each design reflects its creator’s own unique inspirations. Sharon’s family-inspired duck is based on Ozzy and her pets, Twiggy’s duck is pretty in pink florals, and Barbara’s high fashion metallic design is perfect for anyone with an eye on the latest trends.

Twiggy, designer of Duckie, said: “I was really happy to get involved in designing a duck for Cancer Research UK and hope that it will help to raise awareness of breast cancer as well as funds for the charity’s lifesaving work. We have to fight this terrible disease, and everything helps. Inspiration for Duckie was quite simple – I wanted her to be pink and beautiful with the flowers symbolising peace, love and hope. She’s a perfect gift for your mum, sister, best friend or anyone you know who has been touched by the disease.”

Barbara Hulanicki, designer of Garbo, said: “My inspiration for the design came from my love of Greta Garbo and those fabulous eyelashes! Being involved with this charity was a natural as I have had many friends and family affected by this disease. Our only option is to do everything in our power to beat it. It was an honour to have been asked to participate in designing a duckie. It happens to be one of my favourite toys too!”

ENDS

For more information please contact the Cancer Research UK press office on 020 7061 8320, or email [email protected]. If your call is out of hours, please contact the duty press officer on 07050 264 059.