An Aberdeen woman is preparing to swap her trusty jeans and trainers for a more glitzy number when she takes to the catwalk for a north-east charity.
Jan Meikle is one of 24 women taking part in this year’s Courage on the Catwalk in aid of Friends of Anchor.
Now in its seventh year, the event helps to raise cash to support of cancer and haematology patients from the north-east, Orkney and Shetland.
This year’s models, who have all faced a cancer or haematology diagnosis, are currently hard at work training to make their catwalk debut, and are receiving professional model training.
Over three glitzy events, the women – aged between 18 and 77 – will parade their glamorous outfits in front of crowds of loved ones and supporters to help boost their confidence while raising cash for new equipment at the £32 million Anchor Centure due to open at Foresterhill in 2021.
Ms Meikle was nominated to take part by her friend and hairdresser Gemma Tyler.
She said that since her diagnosis of breast cancer in 2013 she has taken a new attitude towards life, and decided to seize the opportunity to take on the catwalk.
And although she said her fashion sense is usually restricted to jeans and trainers, she’s excited to glam up for the fundraising celebration.
She said: “I’ve been clear now for five years, and every year since I’ve passed my treatment I’ve been badgered constantly by my friends to do Courage on the Catwalk.
“I don’t know exactly why I decided that this would be the year, but I think I was finally in the right mindset.
“It’s been really fun so far. We’ve been having catwalk lessons from professional models, it’s really been something different and it’s been fantastic for my confidence and all us lassies have a lot in common, it’s been brilliant getting to know them.”
Ms Meikle will be cheered on by her friends, especially her chum Brenda Robertson, who she described as her rock throughout her experience with cancer, and attended every chemotherapy session by her side.
The 54-year-old said when she’s on the catwalk, she will also be thinking of her brother Bill Strachan, who died in 2016 of liver cancer.
The courageous Ms Meikle said when she was first diagnosed, her number one concern was her role as carer for her brother, who had been paralysed in a motorcycle accident.
She said: “I was basically his unpaid carer for 30-odd years, so my main worry was who would look after my brother.
“But thankfully, I’ve got a really amazing circle of friends, and I don’t think I would have made it through without them.”
She added: “It’s important to let people out there know that there’s life after your cancer diagnosis. You can never truly get over it, but I feel that I’m now prepared to take on anything that comes my way because you just don’t know when your life is going to change.”
Balcony tickets, which include refreshments, are available for £20 by emailing anchor@balmoral.co.uk
