Eastbourne: Fundraising calendar for breast cancer charity

Fundraising calendar for breast cancer charity A photographer from East Sussex has snapped 12 women with breast cancer for a fundraising calendar.

Sharon Lawrence from Eastbourne says she had the idea for the calendar "many years ago" after her mother died from breast cancer.

In February 2024, Ms Lawrence began scouting for women who wanted to be included in the Thanks for the Mammaries calendar.

All proceeds from the calendar which launches on 1 October will be donated to Breast Cancer Now.

Sharon Smith, from Eastbourne, is representing March in the issue and was diagnosed with breast cancer in October 2022.

Ms Smith explained how she got her diagnosis late due to Covid-19 and had a mastectomy in January 2023.

She said: "It is the most horrific thing I've ever been through.

"Making this calendar and meeting these inspiring women made me feel like my life is still happening, it's life after cancer."

Most of those who feature in the calendar are local, however Ms Lawrence flew to the USA to photograph one woman, while another from Scotland travelled down for the photo shoot.

Ms Lawrence highlighted the difficulty of finding a venue, hair stylist and makeup artist "all free on the same day and doing that 12 times over".

Each model had to incorporate the colour pink in their outfit but otherwise could dress however they wanted.

Ms Lawrence said she wanted the ladies to be "comfortable" and "really wanted them to decide how their images were going to be".

Ms Smith who was photographed as Audrey Hepburn said: "It was such a positive environment".

She said "the calendar covered the whole spectrum of breast cancer" from women in active treatment to those now in aftercare.

Ms Lawrence said the experience was "very humbling" and "uplifting".

She added that the women got to "feel really good for a day and forget everything else happening around them".

The ladies met for the first time on Sunday for a launch party after all being photographed separately.

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