The curtain will come up in Aberdeen’s Beach Ballroom on our two long-awaited charity catwalk shows in May, with local men and women taking to the stage.
Brave and Courage on the Catwalk have been on hold for two years due to the pandemic. Now we're preparing to resume the popular events, which feature local people as the stars of the stage.
Charity director Sarah-Jane Hogg said: “We’re really grateful to see things in a place where we can proceed with these much-loved shows that have been a huge miss in our event calendar this past couple of years.
“This year’s model line-up will include some incredibly patient local men and women, whose place in the shows has been reserved since early 2020, before the pandemic brought the plans to a sudden halt. We’ve stayed in touch with our selected models over the past two years, and now their friends and family will finally get to see them shine on the stage.”
Brave will take place at the Beach Ballroom on the evenings of Thursday and Friday May 5 and 6, with Courage on the Catwalk on Saturday and Sunday May 7 and 8.
Sarah-Jane added: “With the Courage schedule starting earlier in the year, our ladies had the chance to meet several times before the pandemic, with even the first official rehearsal in the bag. The bond that was made before Covid-19 hit has seen them support one another and grow great friendships already over these last two years.
“For our Brave guys, their experience was cut before it even began, with the first meet cancelled in the final hour when the first lockdown was announced. Many of the men who came on board back in early 2020 have chosen to make their model debut this year, but there are spaces now open for others to join them in the line-up for 2022.”
Our fundraising team is looking for local men over the age of 16, who have faced or are going through a cancer or haematology diagnosis, to put their name forward. As with its sister event Courage on the Catwalk, the selected models taking part will be professionally styled and trained by production and model agency Premiere Productions UK.
Mark Collie, who took part in the last Brave event in 2019, said he would encourage men to apply: “Brave was a brilliant experience but it’s not just the show days themselves that stand out. The Brave 2019 guys formed an amazing bond of friendship that’s still strong to this day. We keep in touch, we’re there for one another and we’re looking forward to a reunion at this year’s Brave when we’ll be able to cheer on the 2022 guys.
“The feeling of confidence you get from going out there on the stage is excellent, and throughout the rehearsals and meeting you can see the people around you becoming visibly more confident week by week. There’s a lot of fun in the whole event and it’s really rewarding.”
This year’s event will raise money for the charity’s ANCHORED Together appeal – a campaign to raise £2m for additional investment in The ANCHOR Centre, set to open in Aberdeen in 2023.
More than 8,400 guests have filled the Beach Ballroom for the shows over the years, which have now raised more than £1m since Courage on the Catwalk launched in 2013, and Brave in 2017.
To apply to be in this year’s male model line-up for Brave, or to nominate a friend or family member, contact Friends of ANCHOR on 01224 859170 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Applications will close on February 25.
Tickets will be on sale for Courage on the Catwalk on February 10. Tickets for Brave will be sold on a waiting list basis. For more information, please visit the website pages for each event.