TWO Nestl Rowntree workers who are both fighting breast cancer have spearheaded a fundraising drive to help find a cure for the disease.

Hundreds of employees across the York chocolate factory - including some men - wore pink yesterday to mark Breast Cancer Awareness month.

A group of staff from Nestl's human resources department bid £191 in an auction for a specially-produced giant 1.5 kg bar of pink chocolate, adorned with the breast cancer awareness logo. They later decided to donate the bar to the children's ward at York Hospital.

Along with other fund-raising efforts, including a £1 donation from every person wearing pink, employees hoped they would raise about £500 for the Breast Cancer Campaign.

The company's involvement in the awareness month was sparked by Max Furnandiz and Juliet Carroll, who work in the company's occupational health and finance departments respectively. They said they had both been diagnosed as suffering from the disease at about the same time, and, by an amazing coincidence had ended up in opposite beds in a ward at York Hospital when they went in for surgery in May.

Max, of Barton-le-Willows, near Malton, and Juliet, of Dunnington, said they had undergone chemotherapy together and were now beginning radiotherapy together at Cookridge Hospital in Leeds. Max said they wanted to remind people of the importance of checking themselves regularly for breast cancer.

"Ladies should regularly check their breasts and know what is normal, so they can know if anything abnormal occurs," she said.

"It that happens, they must get themselves to their GP straight away. Early detection is vital." She added that a smaller proportion of men could also get breast cancer and also needed to be aware.

Meanwhile, the factory was today hosting a Family Open Day to thank staff for their hard work in producing Nestl's big new confectionery product, Kit Kat Kubes.

Updated: 10:17 Saturday, October 18, 2003