RECAP: BreastScreen Victoria at the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show

In March 2018, with the support of Flowers Victoria (operated by Victorian Farmers Federation), BreastScreen Victoria exhibited at the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show.

With over 100,000 visitors expected to the show over the five days (21 – 25 March), it was the perfect opportunity to engage with Victorian women about the importance of breast screening and to book them in for their next screen.

Through signage and discussions with hundreds of women and their partners, myths about breast cancer and screening were debunked with a special focus put on early detection, age eligibility, family history, and survival rates.

With the help of Hologic, visitors were also able to see and get some insight with a brand new mammogram machine. This proved a valuable tool in helping to remove some of the associated fear in first time screeners which will hopefully see the majority of women attend their first booked screen with less hesitation.

As added incentive women who booked on the day received a gift bag valued at over $25 with donated products including gardening gloves, hand cream, skin care, lipstick, tea, and snacks! This was made possible through generous donations from Carmen’s, Crabtree & Evelyn, Nyx Professional Makeup, Pukka tea, and Sukin.

Over the five days, 299 bookings were made by women, with just under half being first time screeners and over 100 women who were overdue (lapsed screeners). Over 200 of the bookings made were also for women aged 50-69 which falls perfectly in BreastScreen Victoria’s target age group of 50-74.

The event was an amazing success and we would like to thank the Victorian Farmers Federation, Flowers Victoria, Louise from Louise Moreland Event Styling & Management for her assistance in arranging the event and to the following brands who helped us achieve this amazing result: