CHARITY workers from East Lancashire used their bras to break a world record and said the experience was "uplifting".

Members of Rishton and Great Harwood Soroptimists hooked up with breast cancer awareness campaigners in Cyprus attempting to break the world record for the longest bra chain.

And the women's group appealed to colleagues across the North West to donate bras to send to the Mediterranean holiday island for the attempt in April next year.

Beryl Timmins, of Shawbrook Close, Rishton, said the women were overwhelmed at the response -- they have collected in excess of 1,000 bras of all shapes, sizes and colours.

Her friend Elaine Watson, who lives in Tockholes, but also has a holiday home in Cyprus, asked if the Soroptimists would donate a bra and £1 to the Anti-Cancer Society of Cyprus, which is organising the world record attempt to raise awareness of breast cancer.

The record, set in Singapore in December 2002, stands at 79,001 bras -- 60km strap to strap.

The Cyprus team is aiming to get 90,000 bras to make a chain 68.3km-long.

Beryl, 67, said: "Elaine asked if my Soroptimist friends would donate, which they did, and then our programme officer Pam Russell suggested asking members from our region as well, which is the North West and Isle of Man, and the response has been amazing.

"From me and my friend sitting in my house having a cosy chat, it just seemed to escalate."

At the Soroptimists regional meeting in Lancaster earlier this month, Beryl collected more than 1,000 bras from North West members.

Dorothy Casey, the president elect of the Soroptimists Rishton and Great Harwood, said: "There were bags and boxes full of bras overflowing everywhere.

"During lunch, we had a lot of fun fastening them together and helping the women of Cyprus with their project.

"At the end of the day we all decided that it had been an uplifting project!"

Beryl said her friend had planned to take the donated bras back with her when she goes to Cyprus next month, but because they have collected so many the transport company TNT has offered to deliver them.

The organisers have bras being donated from all over the world to help with their attempt, on Sunday, April 30 2006, and have a three-bedroom house ready to accommodate the tens of thousands they hope to receive.