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Guides are aiming for a bra-chain record while boosting cancer awareness, reports Rebecca Blithe.

These are not the bras discarded by the Boobs on Bikes girls. These support a worthier cause. Buddies with bosoms are needed to donate old bras to the Devonport Girl Guides who are helping to break the record for the world's longest bra chain - and raise breast cancer awareness.

By the end of November, Girl Guiding New Zealand needs 167,000 bras to beat the record, held by Australia.

Brownie Ella Cronshaw, 8, says the bras will have lives beyond the chain in Haiti, Africa and the Pacific Islands.

"We're giving them away to women who don't have enough money to get bras," she says as she crouches on the floor of Abigail's Boutique to clip piles of bras into one lengthy string.

Ella is helped by Girl Guide Stephie Claridge, 10, and her mum, Sue, the Devonport Guide leader and the writer and editor of the Breast Cancer Network magazine Upfront U Kaiora.

While other Girl Guide groups hold events to raise money for the Breast Cancer Network, Mrs Claridge is combining the challenge with a local focus on prevention.

Each time a woman donates a bra they receive a risk reduction brochure. "I didn't want to be asking for more money. We've only just sold all our Girl Guide biscuits. I'd like to think, by giving them the brochure, our bra collection project will have an impact on the women who help us far into the future."

To help boost the collection's efforts, Stephie and Ella have also been involved in Pink Star Challenges, for which the entry fee was a donated bra.

Stephie says the pink party was pretty cool but the bike challenge was definitely her favourite.

"At the pink party we got to eat pink food like cupcakes and biscuits with pink icing. But I liked the bike challenge best - mainly because I won."

Alongside the fun projects Mrs Claridge has woven in educational sessions for the girls.

"Breast cancer is a sensitive subject." Focusing on making healthy choices to prevent developing the disease later in life, the girls have taken a mature approach.

"I haven't had any 'Eww yuck, breasts, bras, don't want to talk about it'," says Mrs Claridge.

Stephie seems pretty clued up on the basics. "How to prevent it is: don't smoke, don't eat junk food, don't drink lots of alcohol," she says.

Guiding New Zealand chief executive Ruth Teasdale says there is a lot of fun involved with a serious message.

"It's a great way to get the message out there and people have enjoyed giving."

As far as breaking the world record for the longest bra chain, Ms Teasdale says it is "a big ask. Those women who are working right on the ground are really confident that we'll get there."

Hitting your straps

Abigail's owner, Di Francis, has boxes filled with bras stored above her shop, but it's a kumara shed in Dargaville that holds the most.

The bra challenge  began in the Northland town when Guide leader Robyn Martinovich spotted the record for the world's longest bra chain, held by Australia, in her daughter's Guinness Book of Records.

The kumara shed has become the final collection point, holding 24,233 bras by August 9. But there are plenty more stored in 79 Postie Plus stores nationwide plus individual retailers like Abigail's Boutique in Victoria St, Devonport.