A new partnership between BP and the McGrath Foundation is set to raise at least $300,000 towards to the roll out of more breast care nurses.

BP launched the new partnership at its Kangaroo Flat service station on Friday and offered women the VIP service with helpers manning the fuel pumps, providing promotional gifts and washing windscreens throughout the weekend.

BP rural and regional manager Nicki Nicol said the new partnership would run for at least 12 months, raising a minimum of $300,000 for the McGrath Foundation.

“Half a cent from every litre of premium unleaded 95 sold at the pump will be donated to support The McGrath Foundation,” she said.

The McGrath Foundation is one of Australia’s leading breast cancer support and education charities, and raises money to fund McGrath Breast Care Nurses in communities right across Australia and to increase breast awareness in young women, through its innovation Curve Lurve program. 

McGrath Breast Care Nurses are specially trained to manage the care of breast cancer patients throughout the course of their cancer treatment and are the principal liaison between the patient and specialists.

Bendigo Health breast care nurse Sharon Salter described the new partnership as fantastic.

“This is going to be really beneficial,” she said. “It will get the word out and that will mean that we can fund quite a few more nurses.

“We’ve got 83 at the moment, two of us in Bendigo, so it will mean that we can get more nurses out.

“The McGrath Foundation wants to get out about 150.”

Ms Salter said more breast care nurses were needed in Bendigo.

“I’m pretty flat chat with early breast cancer ladies going through their treatment so we need some more nurses in Bendigo so we can look after the ladies that have got secondary cancer,” she said.