MUCH MORE THAN JUST A FASHION SHOW!
If you’re a dedicated follower of fashion, then the charity event at Epic Studios in Norwich on Tuesday 20th and Wednesday 21st October is the one for you. Held in aid of Norfolk-based breast cancer reconstruction support charity, Keeping Abreast, the More Than Just Fashion Show has something for everyone, from the latest looks from Norfolk stores Jarrolds, Scarlet, M&S, Elora and Snoop Boutique to live dance performances and even a giant pink raffle.
All of the models are real people who have been through breast reconstruction surgery following a breast cancer diagnosis or the discovery of a hereditary breast cancer gene and so it’s fitting that this event takes place during October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Thirty-two former breast cancer reconstruction patients will take to the stage to showcase the shops’ autumn and winter styles and to celebrate the end of their treatment.
Victoria Pigg, CEO for Keeping Abreast commented: “The Keeping Abreast Fashion Show is all about empowerment and femininity. It’s an opportunity to come together to celebrate everything that these women have gone through and to show that there is life beyond breast cancer and breast reconstruction. The Fashion Shows are always exciting, uplifting and emotional and it’s a way for the models’ partners, friends, family and colleagues to mark this important milestone with them too. It takes a lot of courage to get up on the catwalk and strut their stuff in front of everyone, but the fact that the models are real people makes this event all the more powerful.”
The Show will be hosted by ITV Anglia presenter Chris Page and former presenter Sascha Williams, with charity patron Chris Bailey acting as the evening’s MC.
The headline sponsor for the 2026 Keeping Abreast More Than Just Fashion Show is Norfolk-based wealth management company Titan Wealth, with Pilgrim Foods a gold sponsor and bronze sponsors Store Galore and Insurance With. The Show has been produced by Swardeston-based Production Bureau and choreographed by Stephen Knight from Norfolk’s Knightshift Dance Company.
HAYLEY NUNN
Keeping Abreast Fashion Show model Hayley Nunn, 45, is from Felsham in Suffolk and was diagnosed with breast cancer in her right breast in April 2024. She had her breast reconstruction surgery at the end of May 2024 at the West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds.
She said: “It was very tricky to work out the extent of my cancer, so in the end I had a mastectomy with reconstruction via an implant at the same time.”
She continued: “People pre the screening age [currently 50 and over] do not think it can happen to them; my friends said the same thing. When it happened to me, they realised they needed to check themselves more. I also think people do not realise how good reconstruction can look! When I’m clothed, nobody would know!”
At the Fashion Show, Hayley will be modelling smart casual wear by sustainable French fashion brand Elora which is represented in Norfolk by personal stylist Becky Greenfield.
She will also be modelling lingerie for Marks & Spencer, known for their extensive range of women’s underwear and wide selection of post-surgery bras.
For many of the other Fashion Show models, parading on the catwalk in their smalls in front of a live audience might seem daunting, but this is not the first time that Hayley has taken to the runway. In fact, far from it, as, besides her day job running Acorn Air Conditioning & Refrigeration Ltd with her husband, Evan, in Suffolk, where they live with their daughter, Elsie, 21, and son William, 18, she is also a qualified international body builder and bikini model.
It was after her breast cancer reconstruction surgery two years ago that Hayley decided to enter the body building world and this May – in fact, two years to the day that she had her mastectomy - and after a lot of physical training and a strict nutrition regime - Hayley competed at the famous FMG Italy Pro/Am fitness and bodybuilding event in Rimini as part of the city’s Wellness Experience Show. It was there that she won her pro bikini card, enabling her to compete at the elite level in the bikini divisions of bodybuilding and fitness competitions worldwide.
Hayley confided: “It felt like a big deal, as the stereotype of big fake boobs in bikinis is quite prevalent and to win with my little reconstructed A cup was huge for me… and I’m still a little emotional about the whole thing.”
Although she is experienced in modelling and walking in huge heels, Hayley said: “I’ve stood on many stages, but I think this one is going to be very different.”
“I want women with reconstructed breasts to feel confident in their bodies and unstoppable despite what they’ve been through, so I think the Keeping Abreast Fashion Show is truly wonderful and I’m both pleased and proud to be a part of it.”
“There’s a huge sense of camaraderie attached, and I also feel like there’s going to be a whole lot of emotion.”
“This is more than just a fashion show because somewhere out there, there is a woman sitting in a waiting room, recovering from surgery, or just wondering if her body will ever feel like her own again after cancer, and this show demonstrates that it really will.”
Hayley Nunn is on Instagram at: @Hayleynunn_fmgbikinipro
ELAINE SCOTT
Keeping Abreast Fashion Show model Elaine Scott, 80, is from Eccles-on-Sea in Norfolk and was diagnosed with breast cancer in her left breast in 2005 when she was 58. She had her surgery at the Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital in Norwich where she had a skin-sparing mastectomy with immediate Latissimus Dorsi reconstruction (using skin, fat and muscle from her back, as well as an implant) followed by six chemotherapy sessions. Her reconstruction wasn’t straightforward, and she had to have her implant changed three times and she also underwent symmetry surgery.
Commenting on her reconstruction, Elaine said: “It’s always felt really good; it’s always felt like a natural breast; I’ve been very, very pleased with it. Great credit to the consultant and the team… the help and support throughout my journey has been amazing.”
Ever since her surgery, Elaine has supported other breast cancer reconstruction patients and she has been involved with Keeping Abreast for 20 years, in fact ever since the charity started in 2007. She is also the Lead Volunteer for the Keeping Abreast Stalham Support Group which meets at The Swan Inn in the town.
This small, informal, friendly group meets once a month in the garden pod at The Swan Inn, with their next get-togethers from 11am to midday on Wednesday 14th October and Wednesday 25th November. Anyone who has been affected by breast cancer reconstruction – or is supporting someone in that situation – is welcome to attend.
Elaine said: “I have made some wonderful life-long friends through the groups, and I hope my age and survival will encourage ladies to explore what help is available.”
Elaine was a nurse for over 50 years, working at both the Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital and the James Paget University Hospital in Gorleston. She lives with her husband John, and they have two daughters, Emma, 55, and Hannah, 52, as well as five grandchildren.
Elaine has been in the Keeping Abreast Fashion Show twice before and also took part in six of the Dance Challenges which used to be part of this biannual event.
This year’s Keeping Abreast Fashion Show is the charity’s 10th show and so it will be extra special this time round. Besides the models taking to the catwalk to show off this season’s styles, it will also feature two professional dance performances, with a Bollywood routine from The Grant Academy of Bollywood, run by Rebecca Grant, and a special routine by Stephen Knights and his performers from Knightshift Dance.
Elaine attends one of Stephen Knights’ regular dance classes in Norwich and also sings with the Wroxham branch of Norfolk’s BroadBeat Choir which sang at the Fashion Show back in 2017. At this year’s event she will be modelling casual wear and evening wear from Jarrold’s, Norwich’s premier department store.
She said: “I am honoured and privileged to be asked again to take part in the amazing Fashion Show. As a long-term survivor of over 22 years of breast cancer, I hope that my modelling in the Show will give hope and inspiration for ladies who are just starting out on their breast cancer journey.”
