Natalie Emuss and Jennifer Mason are on a roll the day we meet ….. they tumble in, fresh from a slot on the BBC Radio Cambridgeshire airwaves and after our chat, they’re heading for an interview and photoshoot with Velvet magazine. All of which is brilliant publicity for the Fashion Show they mastermind each year, in aid of Addenbrooke’s Hospital Breast Cancer Appeal.
The Fashion Show is happening on the 1st Floor of Grand Arcade at 7pm on Thursday 18 October. The red carpet will be rolled out and twenty women, all of whom are either undergoing treatment or have survived breast cancer, will strut their stuff on the catwalk. And so will twenty men, friends, husbands, brothers and sons of these ladies, with daughters and granddaughters also modelling. With so much warmth, love and support in the room, it makes for a fabulous atmosphere.
Retailers in Grand Arcade get right behind this Show, fitting models with the new season’s clothes and shoes. Fossil supplies handbags, Sean Hanna takes care of the models’ hair while MAC, Charlotte Tilbury and Estee Lauder do make up. A raft of fabulous raffle prizes includes a 24 hour test drive of a TESLA car, so don’t forget to buy your raffle tickets at Rigby & Peller. Sponsors include Clarity, who created the event website, Grape Van and Grazie.
Natalie and Jenny met at Addenbrookes in 2016. They both had personal experience of the hospital. Natalie was treated for cancer in the Breast Unit there in 2013, undergoing a mastectomy followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Jenny’s father had cancer and when he passed away in Addenbrookes, she vowed to do something big to thank the hospital for all they had done for him.
Natalie had held fashion shows in Saffron Walden in 2014 and 2015 to raise funds for the Breast Unit but she and Jenny quickly realised that they could create something much bigger if they pooled their expertise, energy and resources. As Manager of Rigby & Peller in Cambridge, Jenny feels uniquely placed to help breast cancer patients, with her specialist mastectomy trained staff who fit the many different styles of bras on offer and who are always there for aftercare too.
This year’s Show is dedicated to Becky Hadfield, who modelled in 2016 and sadly passed away in January 2018. Becky will be in the hearts and minds of everybody involved in the Show as they aim to raise £11,000 which will fund a part time Breast Counsellor post. And the more money they raise, the more hours the Counsellor will be able to spend supporting women at the Breast Unit.
Fashion Show tickets cost £16 and include a welcome drink and canapes on arrival. You can book tickets through the website or get them from Rigby & Peller in Grand Arcade but don’t wait until the last minute as this event always sells out!
http://www.cambridgebreastcancerappeal.com
http://www.rigbyandpeller.com/UK
Grand Arcade, St. Andrew’s Street, Cambridge CB2 3BJ
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