Staff at a Totnes opticians harnessed the power of pink to raise awareness and much-needed funds to help towards beating breast cancer.

The store colleagues at Specsavers Totnes were taking part in Wear It Pink Day as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, with the store being decked out in bright pink, collection pots available for those who wished to make a donation, and pink hampers were on offer as raffle prizes.

The Totnes team managed to raise £120, while their colleagues over at the Paignton store collected £180.

The fuchsia-coloured fun event comes a couple of years after Totnes store director Karen Stone recovered from breast cancer, having undergone a single-side mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy to save her life.

Karen, who is the joint director at Specsavers Totnes and Paignton stores, says: ‘The fundraising in both stores was great fun. Everyone really enjoyed it – but of course there was a serious message to what we did.

‘We’re very grateful to all our customers who donated on the day. By giving whatever they could spare, they really have helped to make a difference.’

Wear It Pink Day has been running for more than 20 years and is one of the biggest fundraising events in the UK.

Taking place during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, thousands of amazing people wear it pink in their communities, schools or work places for the UK’s largest breast cancer charity, Breast Cancer Now.

They are on a mission to make sure that by 2050, everyone diagnosed with breast cancer lives and is supported to live well.

People have brought shades of pink to dress-up days, bake sales, netball tournaments, wild swims, knitting sessions and even bra displays having lots of fun and raising over £41 million in the process.