Brave men and courageous women are invited to join Friends of Anchor’s hugely popular fashion show and have “the best experience of their lives”.
The charity’s Brave and Courage on the Catwalk events will return at the Beach Ballroom in Aberdeen this May, and nominations are now being taken.
A total of 48 local people who have faced or are going through a cancer diagnosis will have the opportunity to get out of their comfort zone and strut their stuff on the stage.
While the events are “all about making memories and having fun”, they also play a big part in raising vital funds for the charity.
The fashion shows, which attract hundreds of people to the Aberdeen venue every year, have so far raised £1.6 million towards support for cancer patients and their families.
Friends of Anchor is ‘comfort blanket’ for cancer patients
Charity director Sarah-Jane Hogg said: “Our models make the event – they are the very best part of everything that we do.
“Nothing can beat the feeling of seeing everything unfold. We’ve seen it year after year – the way they build up their confidence, the amazing friendships they form and what they manage to achieve together.
“It’s a fantastic experience for all of them and for the audience as well.
“And there is the fundraising element, of course. It’s phenomenal what the events have raised over the years and often it’s a way for the models to give back for the care they have received.
“People often describe Friends of Anchor as the ‘comfort blanket’. It’s a real lifeline for many cancer patients – from the phase to phase support to the charity’s research team.”
Courage on the Catwalk is a life-changing experience
Courage on the Catwalk and Brave will be held on May 4, 5, 6 and 7 with people able to sign up for the fashion show on the charity’s website until February 6.
Kay Sowerby, who took part in the very first edition of Courage on the Catwalk in 2013, said this is a fantastic way to give back to the charity.
The 61-year-old was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004 and has been heavily involved with Friends of Anchor ever since.
Speaking of her experience at the fashion show, she said the best part of it was the life-long friendships she created over the course of a few months.
She said: “You just have this immediate rapport with them because you are going through the same thing and you can talk about everything and anything.
“It’s a life-changing experience – you find out so much about yourself but also about others.
“As Benjamin Franklin said, ‘Out of adversity comes opportunity’ – the adversity for us was cancer, and the opportunity was Courage.
“You take yourself out of your comfort, you strut your stuff on the catwalk and show cancer that it hasn’t got the best of you. It’s a real sense of achievement.”
‘Cancer changes people, but so does Brave’
For John Smith, Brave showed him that there is a positive outlook in every bad or dark situation.
The 69-year-old is currently going through his third cancer diagnosis, having been diagnosed with esophageal cancer in 2015 and stomach cancer in 2019.
Mr Smith said the Friends of Anchor support over the last eight years has been invaluable to him as he went through a series of “brutal” surgeries, as well as chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
While he admitted that stepping on the stage of Brave was horrifying at first, he said this was the “best time of his life” and encouraged other men to “go for it”.
He said: “The first time you go, you think ‘I am never going to get through this’. But then you meet all the guys and you really start to look forward to the next rehearsal.
“It’s the camaraderie between all us, and each and every one of us has said this was the best experience of their life.
“To anyone who is thinking about joining, all I can say is go for it. Don’t allow any preconceptions or fears of the fact you might end up making a fool of yourself stop you.
“Go for it, because you’ve had a bad time – but this is going to be a good time. Cancer changes people, but so does Brave.”
For more information on how to apply, people can go to Friends of Anchor’s fundraising events page, email info@friendsofanchor.org or call 01224 859170.
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