A line up of 24 inspiring women will take part Friends of ANCHOR’s Courage on the Catwalk.
The popular event will make its ninth annual return in May with a new group of women taking to the stage.
Those embarking on their modelling journey have at some point faced a cancer or haematology diagnosis, whether they are still receiving treatment, living with their diagnosis or sharing their story of hope from receiving the all-clear.
Among the models are women from Moray to Inverbervie, aged 19 to 77, who will strut their stuff across three shows on May 6 and 7.
Sarah-Jane Hogg, Director at Friends of ANCHOR said: “It’s a real thrill to meet our Courage on the Catwalk models for the first time. Our initial meet is always a special one and it was wonderful to see the ladies start getting to know one another. We know from experience those friendships will develop over the next 10 weeks as we host an icebreaker dinner, rehearsals and clothes fittings ahead of the shows where their family and friends will be cheering them on.
“Once again this year we were overwhelmed with the response to our model call, with nearly 80 requests for applications. It’s always a hard decision selecting the final line-up, as every application has been filled out with great courage and each applicant is deserving of a spot. There were nine hours of panel deliberations before we arrived at the line-up you see today, and the 24 women taking part represent the range of lives affected by a cancer or hematology diagnosis.
The models will make their catwalk debut at Aberdeen Beach Ballroom in front of a total audience of 1650 people across the three shows, with all funds raised going to Friends of ANCHOR’s ‘ANCHORED Together’ appeal to raise £2m for additional enhancements in The ANCHOR Centre, a dedicated cancer and haematology facility due to open later this year.
Courage on the Catwalk is one of the charity’s most significant fundraisers, having raised £889,400 since its inception in 2013. More than 11,000 guests have filled the Beach Ballroom to watch the shows in that time, and 192 women have taken part.
Premiere Productions UK will be showing the models the tips and tricks of modelling at their upcoming rehearsals as well as giving them a new style to work the catwalk with, thanks to partnerships with local clothing retailers.
With the line-up now revealed, the shows, which sell out each year, will welcome hundreds more audience members as family and friends turn out to support the models. Tickets are on sale to the public on Wednesday March 1 via Eventbrite. People wishing to purchase should visit www.friendsofanchor.org/index.php/events/courage-on-the-catwalk for more information.
Every penny raised at the event will go to the cause thanks to event sponsors who ensure costs are covered: major corporate partner The Strachan Partnership and corporate partners CNOOC, Entier, Norse and John Lawrie Metals. As Friends of ANCHOR’s operating costs are covered by locally headquartered firm Balmoral Group, guests can rest assured their generosity will make a direct difference in the North-east of Scotland.