Going for Bust

Going for Bust is a UK charitable organisation founded in early 2013 by local individuals personally affected by breast cancer, dedicated to improving support and outcomes for those living with or beyond the disease in East Dorset and West Hampshire. Arising from gaps in NHS funding, it provides practical equipment, financial aid, and wellbeing services through a unique chain of 11 dedicated breast cancer charity shops—the region's first and only such network—and a Wimborne support centre offering wig fitting, advice, and emotional peer support. Core values of empowerment, compassion, community focus, and positivity drive its authentic, volunteer-led approach, with staff and supporters often drawing from personal breast cancer experience.

It exclusively funds breast cancer-related initiatives, including hospital equipment not covered by the NHS (e.g., ultrasound machines), direct financial help for individuals (wigs, post-operative bras), peer support groups, and local fundraising events. Beneficiaries are primarily adult women affected by breast cancer, plus carers and families, with grants supporting hospitals, grassroots groups, and community partners like Brownies or AFC Bournemouth.

Eligible applicants are UK-registered charities and community groups based in East Dorset or West Hampshire, with a preference for small to medium-sized, grassroots organisations demonstrating clear local breast cancer impact; unsolicited applications are not accepted, favouring direct outreach and partnerships. Typical grants range from £1,000 to £15,000, awarded on a rolling, case-by-case basis without formal deadlines, online forms, or fixed meetings—often in response to specific requests.

Distinctive for its retail-driven, bureaucracy-free model reinvesting shop surpluses into fast, targeted local aid, Going for Bust avoids broader health or social issues, prioritising responsive, community-rooted interventions that enhance recovery beyond statutory services.