Pictured: Laura Cartwright, Sherrie Stinson, Hayley Manchester, Tara Smith, Mikhaela Dawe, Meg Forbutt, Morgan Foster, Liz Wright, Britt Flynn, Nikita Fensom, Kiki Brampton, Karina Ginn, Cindy James, Elise Terry and Chontelle Perrin. Photo: supplied.
15 ladies dared to bare topless in a tasteful and elegant photoshoot on Saturday October 30, to raise money for Can Assist. The Dare to Bare fundraiser, organised and hosted by Graze Away small business owner Laura Cartwright, was designed to raise awareness for breast cancer support as well as much needed funds for charity. The 15 ladies took on the challenge to go topless and raise money, donating 100% of the funds raised to Young Can Assist to support locals and their families going through cancer.
The official total raised by the Dare to Bare fundraiser amounted to a staggering $55,268.93 when each of the ladies Westpac bank accounts were closed last Friday. Each of the cheques will be handed to Gail at Can Assist by Laura once the dust has settled. Event organiser, Laura, was blown away with the incredible support the initiative has received. “It’s a great result. It’s a lot more than we thought we would get when we started,” Laura said.
“We were aiming for $1,000 each, so 15 grand was sort of our target. We’ve definitely smashed that. “We closed the accounts, but believe it or not, we still had money flowing in over the weekend that was still able to go through.” Laura said the photoshoot day ran smoothly at her family home in Young, impressively shot by Kristielle Gibbons Photography. “We started at 1pm and pulled up about 7:30pm, so it was a big day for the photographer and the girls,” Laura explained. “I hosted and entertained the girls with Graze Away food platters and drinks.
“We sat down and chatted about our health and women and the cause we were trying to help. “I set up a backroom in my studio. I purely did that because I just wanted it to be a really comfortable space for everyone that was attending to just for them to feel relaxed.” Despite the excitement and good cause, some of the ladies were understandably nervous being captured topless by photography. “There were definitely nerves,” Laura acknowledged. “I’d actually done my photoshoot on the Friday night so then I could sort of show the girls a few things that the photographer and I worked out.
“I think out of the 15 girls, 13 of them are mums. So that’s next level when you’re trying to process your mum body. “I think a lot of them sort of walked out and said how liberating it was to do it and just the feeling of accomplishment.” Laura admitted that she didn’t know the sort of reception the fundraiser would receive, with her unsure whether it would be supported by the community. “I was really nervous thinking that a lot of people wouldn’t get behind it just because it was something that I guess was very much out of the box,” she said. “But the proofs in the pudding that people loved it. “We’ve just been slowly showing photos on social media, which is hard to do because they are graphic to a certain degree, but at the same time I think people want to see those end results as well.”
Laura will also be hosting a Dare to Bare sold-out ticketed event on Saturday December 11, accommodating for 100 ladies to enjoy a quiet afternoon in the garden with catering and cocktails by Graze away, which was meant to be held the same day as the photoshoot. At the event next month, there will also be a breast cancer nurse from Young Hospital and a representative from Can Assist attending, with them discussing topics in a laid-back environment in glamping tents. A small presentation will be made with Gail from Can Assist at the event, where the 100 women can be involved. Tim Warren
