Topless runner to open Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway season

A cancer survivor and campaigner will be cutting the ribbon at a popular Devon tourist attraction.

Louise Butcher, who is known as the 'Topless Runner', will be opening the 2024 season at the Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway at 11:00 GMT on Saturday.

She was chosen as a "local hero" off the back of her campaigning to raise awareness of breast cancer.

Mrs Butcher had a double mastectomy in 2022 and now runs topless to promote body positivity.

She said it was a honour to be asked to open the railway for the 2024 tourist season, adding it made her more determined to do more campaigning.

Mrs Butcher, who was diagnosed with lobular breast cancer and raises money for Barnstaple's Fern Centre through the Royal Devon Hospitals Charity, said a big reason for why she ran topless with her mastectomy scars on display was to reduce the stigma and anxiety of receiving treatment.

"With having surgery and having to wear fake breasts and things like that, I think that becomes a vulnerability of hiding something," she said.

"Yet you're the one at night who stands in front of the mirror when you take them off and then you've got to accept that part of you.

"So I thought 'why not accept the part of me which is me and let's just go out and show everybody else that they can accept that as well', and that's the important message that I spread."

The railway selects a "local hero" each year to do the annual ribbon cutting.

Previous stars have included the 'Boy in the Tent' Max Woosey and triathlete Jade Kingdom, who has Down's syndrome.

Bob Shaddick, the railway's marketing director, said Mrs Butcher was an obvious choice to cut the ribbon this year.

He said: "We've had such a positive response to that choice and we're really looking forward to opening day and meeting Louise again."

Before the ribbon cutting, Mrs Butcher will also be running topless along the nearby Valley of Rocks at 10:00.

As part of the run, convertible cars with their roofs down will line the route to cheer Mrs Butcher on, with a Ferrari lined up to take her from the finish line to the railway.

Anyone who has a convertible vehicle has been invited to come along and line the route from 09:30 onwards.

Rides on the railway will be free on Saturday, but customers will be encouraged to make a donation to the Royal Devon Hospitals Charity instead.

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