Students from The Salon in Buxton have helped to raise funds for Blythe House Hospicecare after teaming up with Breast Friends for a special calendar shoot.
The Level 2 and 3 Beauty Therapists, based at the Devonshire Dome in Buxton, volunteered their time to help an inspirational group of women from the Breast Friends group prepare for their 2020 charity calendar.
Gill Ashton, Nicki Sharp, Laine Mairs and their supervisor Jenny Kennerk helped to influence the monthly themes of the shoot, including “The Great British Breast Off’ and “Health Through Water”, before proving a range of beauty services such as body painting, make-up application, nail painting and hair.
Money raised through calendar sales will enable Blythe House to continue to provide the highest levels of care for people in the High Peak who are affected by cancer and certain other life-limiting illnesses, along with supporting those who are bereaved.
Amanda Garrington, Operations Manager at The Salon at Buxton and Leek College, said: “It was an absolute honour and a privilege to be able to help facilitate the calendar production. Our students thoroughly enjoyed helping with the preparation and meeting such a lovely group of inspirational women. The images are stunning and I love the individual mantras for each month. Thank you so much for giving our learners the opportunity to help with this fantastic project. What an incredible achievement and huge congratulations to the Breast Friends group”.
Charlotte Cawthorn started to attend Blythe House Hospicecare’s Living Well service in February 2018, following her breast cancer diagnosis. She said: ‘I loved going along to the Devonshire Dome alongside my friends from the hospice to have photos taken for the calendar. Nothing was too much trouble for the team and they were so hospitable. We had such a fantastic time and were so well looked after. The team at The Dome host Wellness Wednesdays events for Blythe House patients like me to have complementary therapies and treatments at discounted prices; it’s such a special service that is so appreciated by us all.’
Gill Ashton, who is currently studying on the L3 Beauty & Spa Therapy course, added: “I supported the Breast Friends charity event by painting sunflowers over the chest area of a lady who had had a double mastectomy due to cancer. I have looked after patients with breast cancer so I really felt compelled to volunteer for such an inspiring project. I really enjoyed working with Breast Friends and hearing their stories, they had such an incredibly inspiring energy which rubbed off on me!”
Jenny Kennerk, The Salon Supervisor at the Devonshire Dome, Buxton: “I learned so much from these lovely ladies, their coping mechanism is amazing! Everyone that I spoke to said, “Don’t let it stop you, carry on!” When I was working with them it really made me feel like you should seize the day and make it count. I have nothing but admiration for this group of very special friends.”
The money raised through their charity calendar will support the incredible and humbling work of Blythe House. Find out more about the hospice >