North West women spend a month a year to ‘girlie gossip’

The survey, conducted by YouGov, marks the launch of Tesco and Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life - the UK’s largest women-only event series. Events in East Lancashire, including Burnley, are now open for entry.

It highlights just how many of their waking hours North West lasses dedicate to chatting! Half (50%) spend an hour or more, on an average day, talking to their female friends and relatives, while a quarter (24%) spend two or more hours a day and one in ten (10%) natter for three or more hours a day.

And when it comes to celebrities, queen of the TV chat show Lorraine Kelly topped a list of stars North West mums, daughters and sisters would love to have a chat with (13%), ahead of The X Factor judge Cheryl Cole (12%) and Dancing On Ice host Holly Willoughby (11%) and the region’s own Colleen Rooney (3%).

At Race for Life, women of all ages and levels of fitness join together to walk, jog or run 5k or 10k to raise money for Cancer Research UK’s life-saving research. It’s also the region’s biggest gossip-fest as many of the thousands of participants seize the opportunity to chat with friends, family or strangers they meet on the course.

Now organisers are urging local ladies to channel their passion for chatting into a rallying cry to “join the girls” at a Race for Life event in Burnley on Sunday, May 15th.

They want them to spread the word that all women are welcome regardless of age, fitness ability and whether they are taking part on their own or as part of a group.

Overwhelmingly, women in the North West prefer to communicate face-to-face. More than half (61%) voted it their favourite way of staying in touch - ahead of phoning (13%), texting (10%) or tapping into Facebook (7%) - making a get-together at Race for Life the perfect excuse for a great day out.

Laura Taylor, Race for Life event manager in East Lancashire, said: “Our survey proves how much we girls like to chat! And we know from experience that word of mouth is the best way to spread the message about Race for Life and get friends and family involved. So we are asking women across the North West to turn their favourite pastime into a mission to make entering Race for Life the main talking point at home, in the office, at the school gate and family gatherings.

“By entering the local event now, planning fundraising and then relishing the sense of achievement on the big day, local women will have plenty to talk about for months to come.”

Race for Life is a powerful testimony to how much women can achieve when they pull together for a common goal. Since the fund-raising series started in 1994, 4.7 million participants across the UK have raised over £327m. to fund Cancer Research UK’s vital work.

Women in East Lancashire can enter Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life at www.raceforlife.org or by calling 0871 641 1111.