A campaign to steal 20,000 kisses from ladies – and gentlemen – has been launched by the cancer charity, Look Good Feel Better.
Look Good Feel Better focuses predominantly upon the after-effects of cancer on a woman’s appearance – something which no other cancer charity currently does.
And an event in Piccadilly Gardens proved popular with the Manchester public on Friday with hundreds puckering up to help raise awareness.
The charity set out to help women who have lost their ‘feminine’ traits such as their hair, eyebrows and eyelashes as a result of cancer treatment, to once again feel beautiful and confident in their bodies.
Executive Director of LGFB Sarahjane Robertson says many women who fight cancer lose complete confidence in both their appearance and their personalities.
“Many of these women who are battling cancer tell us that they think they look like aliens,” she told MM.
“We have had some ladies step into our workshops, and it’s the first time that they have stepped out of their front doors, because they have no confidence and choose to stay at home.”
SHOWERED WITH KISSES: LGFB have collected hundreds of snogs
So far, LGFB has collected between 500 and 600 kisses in Manchester – the first regional location they have spread the love in.
Those willing to pucker up do so not with another person – but with a post-card which will then be sent to a recovering cancer patient, along with a personal note.
LGFB are stealing kisses in Liverpool tomorrow, and with the assistance of a handful of Macmillan and other cancer charity volunteers, they are taking their #Kiss20 campaign to a national level.
The charity have also created a series of ongoing workshops and master classes in order to increase their exposure and a general awareness of their work, among patients, past-patients and the general public who wish to support the charity.
WITH LOVE: MM’s Lucy Varley (left) and Olivia Wheeler
The workshops and master classes are also aimed at giving young women and teenagers an informative, supportive and confidence-boosting experience and allow those in attendance to experiment with make-up and other cosmetic treatments to make themselves look and feel fabulous.
So far the classes have been well received, with comments such as ‘came in feeling low but met people in a similar position, discussed problems and felt much happier’ and ‘left with perfect make-up, met new friends and was grateful for the help of the Look Good Feel Better team’ shared across social networks.
Peter McMahon, 33, a make-up artist and voluntary regional coordinator for LGFB in Manchester, lost his mum to bone marrow cancer when he was fourteen and knows the devastating effects cancer can cause.
“I have always wanted to be a make-up artist and I’ve now been a make-up artist for 15 years, I heard about look good feel better eight years ago and I really wanted to get involved and I love doing it, Peter told MM.
“I tried to get my company involved too but as a company you have to donate 50,000 products but on a personal level you can donate your time.
PRETTY IN PINK: Peter lost his mum to bone marrow cancer when he was fourteen
“Anyone can get involved at different levels, if you’re a make-up artist, beauty therapist or even a hair dresser, you don’t necessarily have to be a make-up artist to get involved, if you have an interest in make-up and want to help then get in touch online.”
Peter explained that, while it is not essential to bear an excessive knowledge of make-up, it is preferable.
This is because when a woman fights cancer, her skin changes and they are more likely to have a reaction or allergy to certain products that they may not have done previous to treatment.
Peter said: “We do master classes too, and they don’t have to be in a hospital, they can be in a church hall, offices or even your local Tesco, it offers a taste into woman and what’s going on – you don’t have to be a make-up artist to do that, the same goes for fundraising too.”
