Courage on the Catwalk showed that size DOES matter on Sunday night as it roared into its new, bigger home at P&J Live.
After a decade at Aberdeen Beach Ballroom, the annual charity fashion show packed even more emotion into the larger venue, with tears, laughter and a whole lot of dancing.
The 24 Courage on the Catwalk models — all women from the north-east with their own history with cancer — put on a fabulous performance in front of more than 900 people.
Following an equally sold-out show on Saturday, there was hardly a moment’s rest as the models strutted their stuff to a cavalcade of pop hits from mainly female artists including Beyonce, Girls Aloud and Madonna.
Courage models trained hard for their big moment
All 24 models had put in months of practise to perfect their catwalk walkdowns since they were chosen earlier this year, meeting every few weeks for training sessions with seasoned professionals.
There was also a friendly rivalry with their male fashion show counterparts, who took to the P&J Live stage on Thursday and Friday for their own show, Brave.
The P&J can reveal that the women of Courage even sneaked in a few unofficial practise sessions to make sure they were ready for the spotlight.
But all was forgiven on Sunday night as a group of the Brave models showed up to cheer on the women.
“It was just phenomenal,” said Mark Stephen, the former policeman with prostate cancer who lit up the Brave show when he gave a cheeky thank you to the audience via his the back of his underpants.
“You could just feel the love in the room.”
He added: “We thought Thursday and Friday were incredible but the atmosphere has been amazing and the girls just rocked the place.”
A hoedown with Beyonce and some emotional journeys
On Sunday, the extra practise sessions paid off handsomely as all 24 Courage models wowed the audience with some nifty footwork, topped off by a succession of glamourous outfits supplied by local fashion retailers including Phase Eight and Perfect Bridal.
As with both Brave shows, the night was kicked off by the Alumni Choir, which was made up of past Courage and Brave participants representing every year the shows have been held.
Next, it was the turn of the current crop. But before the 2024 models took to the catwalk for the first time that evening, they showcased their own creation – a quick hoedown to Beyonce’s Texas Hold ‘Em song.
The dance was choreographed by Courage model Lisa Sangster, a dance teacher from Cults, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2021.
In-between the walkdowns, Friends of Anchor showed video clips of some of the models talking about their cancer journeys.
In one, Becca Legge spoke about how she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at just 22 and the help she received from Friends of Anchor staff and volunteers at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
Later, Becca took to the stage with an instant camera snapping photos of the ecstatic crowd.
Friends of Anchor ‘Red Army’ give their all
Filling out the audience at P&J Live were the so-called ‘Red Army’, the Friends of Anchor volunteers that staff the charity’s services at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and other hospitals across the north-east.
Some of the biggest cheers — and tears — were from this volunteer force, who know many of the models from their time in the wards or at Friends of Anchor events.
Meanwhile, some of the participants have shared their stories with the P&J over the past few weeks, talking about their battles with cancer and how Courage has helped them.
“It’s the most enjoyable experience and you get so much from it,” said Courage 2024 model Michelle Jenkins, 49, speaking before the show. “You do come away with all these new friends, people that you wouldn’t necessarily meet otherwise.”
‘We’ll be friends for life’
Vivienne McHardy, 77, from Stonehaven said: “Taking part in Courage has been amazing, I’ve met so many wonderful, brave and courageous women — we’ll be friends for life.
“The experience of going out onto the catwalk was just so emotional but everyone in the room is cheering you on and I know that every penny is going to the place that helped me. You can never give enough.”
Moira Stewart said the opportunity to take part in Courage came at just the right time.
Her husband died at the start of the year, and the 75-year-old, from Aberdeen, said having the distraction of rehearsals has been the distraction she needed.
The former Ferryhill Primary School teacher — who rocked a pair of silver cowboy boots with each outfit — said: “Courage on the Catwalk and the friendships that have come from it have helped me get through what could have been a very dark and difficult time.”
A Taylor Swift boost to the final fundraising tally
After the show, organisers revealed the evening had taken in almost £200,000, and that the total raised from both Courage and Brave was £360,000.
That total was boosted by the generous inclusion of three Taylor Swift tickets for her upcoming show in Edinburgh.
The tickets were donated for the raffle by mum and daughter Grace and Grace Louise Strachan and raised an incredible £14,870.
“I’m a hugh Swiftie,” said Grace Louise, who was a Courage model in 2017. “We’re going to the [Taylor Swift] show, too, so we’re going to try and meet up with the winners.”
The money raised from both fashion shows, including raffle tickets and donations, will go towards the Anchor appeal with the hopes of raising an extra £2 million for the new Anchor Centre.
You can read just some of the inspirational Courage on the Catwalk 2024 stories here:
- Who’s on the list? Courage on the Catwalk 2024 line-up revealed
- ‘I didn’t realise how strong I was’: Ellon woman, 28, survives cancer and losing mum to aneurysm
- ‘We’d just treat the whole thing as a joke’: Stonehaven mum, 49, laughs in the face of cancer
- ‘I had bowel cancer for three hours’: Cults police superintendent’s inspiring health journey
- Courage on the Catwalk and Brave: First husband and wife to dance down the catwalk reveal emotional cancer journey
And the full list of Courage on the Catwalk 2024 participants:
Amy Robertson, 18, Danestone
Ann Gallon, 51, Chapelton
Ann Sutherland, 64, Meikle Wartle
Anna Liszka, 41, Laurencekirk
Annabelle Masson, 48, Aberdeen
Carol Cruickshank, 40, Memsie
Colleen McKenzie, 67, Aberdeen
Debbie Gray, 45, Cove
Eileen Brown, 59, New Deer
Eileen Mann, 54, Stonehaven
Elaine Logue, 47, Cults
Janet McKenzie, 75, Aberdeen
Jocelyn Cran, 28, Whitehills
Joyce Gibb, 75, Laurencekirk
Kirsty Mortimer, 28, Ellon
Laura Strong, 59, Strichen
Lisa Sangster, 45, Cults
Mandy Tait, 53, Rothienorman
Michelle Jenkins, 49, Stonehaven
Moira Stewart, 75, Aberdeen
Nikki Duncan, 28, Bridge of Don
Patricia Doherty, 55, Aberdeen
Rebecca Legge, 27, Bucksburn
Vivienne McHardy, 77, Stonehaven
