Pentel Raises £1.5 Million for Breast Cancer Now

Pentel has reached another significant milestone in its support for Breast Cancer Now raising £1.5 million for the charity.

The Japanese writing instruments manufacturer has raised this huge sum by selling more than 6.8 million pens in support of the leading breast cancer research and care charity.  Or, to put it another way, if all the pens sold were placed end to end, they could scale the heights of Mount Everest and down again no fewer than 56 times.

Pentel became a corporate partner for Breast Cancer Now in 2006, initially launching a special edition, pink-barrelled version of one of its ballpoint pens in aid of the charity.  Other products followed, including a pocket-sized pink correction pen and a rollerball and mini ballpoint pen duo.

The flagship product, however, is a highly successful rollerball pen in the company’s quick-drying EnerGel range.  Unlike ordinary gel pens, which can sometimes smudge and leave marks on hands and paper, EnerGel ink dries quickly on most paper, making it suitable for both right and left-handed writers.  With a comfortable latex-free finger grip, the pen is perfect for using all day long and the retractable feature makes it ideal for bags and pockets.  For every EnerGel Xm pen it sells Pentel donates £0.25 to Breast Cancer Now.  Another key consideration in today’s environment-sensitive world is that the pen is refillable, helping to preserve resources and reduce unnecessary waste.

Wendy Vickery, Pentel Marketing Manager, says, “I think our partnership with Breast Cancer Now is one of the most enduring in our industry.  It’s amazing to think that, 15 years after we first committed to support the charity, we’ve now raised over £1.5 million for Breast Cancer Now through sales of our pink pens.  When we set our initial target to raise £25,000 in the first year, we could only dream that by 2021 we would have sold getting on for seven million pens.”

The news is especially pleasing in the current climate when manufacturers and non-essential retailers alike have experienced their toughest times in living memory.  “Of course, we wouldn’t be talking about this remarkable success had it not been for the continuing support of our customers,” says Wendy Vickery.  “We thank everyone from the bottom of our hearts for the commitment they continue to show to help us support Breast Cancer Now.”

Rachel Mederson, Head of Account Management at Breast Cancer Now says, “A huge thank you to everyone at Pentel for all your incredible support of Breast Cancer Now over the last 15 years. The partnership has raised an amazing £1.5 million, helping us continue to make life-changing breast cancer research and care happen, now and in the future. We can’t thank Pentel’s staff and customers enough for all their commitment and generosity – with their support we are one step closer to achieving our goal that by 2050, everyone who develops breast cancer will live and live well.”

Wendy Vickery adds, “Our efforts won’t stop here.  We’ll keep going, setting new goals and hopefully raising much more money to support the fantastic work of Breast Cancer Now.”

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About Breast Cancer Now:

Breast Cancer Now is the UK’s first comprehensive breast cancer charity, combining world-class research and life-changing care to build a complete view of breast cancer and make faster progress for everyone affected.

Steered by research and powered by care, Breast Cancer Now’s ambition is that, by 2050, everyone who develops breast cancer will live and be supported to live well.

Breast Cancer Now funds around a third of breast cancer research in the UK. By working with almost 340 of the brightest minds in breast cancer research, the charity is helping discover how to prevent more cases, save more lives and enable more women to live well with the disease.

The charity’s award-winning information and services are there to make sure anyone diagnosed with breast cancer can get the support they need to live well with impacts of the disease. Anyone looking for support or information can call Breast Cancer Now’s free Helpline on 0808 800 6000.