Breast Cancer Campaign is daring everyone in the UK to wear an item of pink on Friday, October 31, and donate £2 each to the charity.

I shall certainly be wearing pink and indeed last week in preparation I put on a rather fetching lab coat and goggles in the Senedd to stress the importance of breast cancer research.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK and accounts for nearly one in three of all cancers in women. Men can also get breast cancer but it is rare, with around 300 cases diagnosed a year. In the UK, more than 45,500 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in women each year – which works out at around 125 a day.

In Wales alone over 2,400 women are diagnosed with breast cancer and sadly most of us will know friends or family who have been affected by the disease.

The good news is that thanks to earlier detection and improved treatment, breast cancer death rates in the UK have fallen by a fifth over the last 10 years. Of those women diagnosed with breast cancer today, two-thirds are likely to survive for at least 20 years.

The risk of developing breast cancer is strongly linked to age. Four out of five of all cases of breast cancer occur in women aged 50 and over. But lifestyle can also increase the risk. Being overweight after the menopause, for example, can increase a woman's risk of breast cancer. Hormonal and reproductive factors also play a significant part.

For example, having children later in life (or not having children at all) and not breastfeeding can increase the risk.

Drinking alcohol also increases the risk of breast cancer.

It is essential to keep an eye on any changes in the look or feel of a breast and to see a doctor immediately if you notice any difference. If you are 50 or over make sure you get breast screened.

Sadly over 12,300 women in the UK still die of breast cancer each year and that's why we need to help support the Breast Cancer Campaign to fund innovative world-class research to understand how breast cancer develops, and to find improved diagnosis, treatment, prevention and cure.

So this Friday put on your craziest pink outfit whether you are in the office, at school, or simply popping to the shops, and donate £2 to help the campaign to continue funding innovative world class research across the UK.