A GROUP of women from Monmouthshire, Blaenau Gwent and Torfaen have braved the elements by baring all at Big Pit Mining Museum in support of the new Aneurin Bevan University Health Board Breast Care Unit, scheduled to open in 2020.

The Unit, situated at Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr Hospital, will serve all of the Greater Gwent area and is described by the Board as a ‘Centre of Excellence where every breast care patient, male or female, has the best possible state of the art care.’

While the new facility will be funded by Aneurin Bevan Health Board, the calendar will be sold as part of a fundraising drive to buy additional items that the NHS are unable to provide.

Organiser, Emma Wilkins, said, ‘The aim is to raise £200,000 towards the unit’s enhanced facilities for thousands of women, men and their families.’

The calendar’s models, women whose lives have been touched by breast cancer, either personally or through a loved one, undertook the photo shoot over the course of a weekend at the popular tourist site.

‘We had to get there early, do the shoot and then finish before the museum opened so as not to scare the tourists away,’ one model told the Chronicle.

Emma stated, ‘The new unit will provide a less clinical environment, with custom designed rooms, designed to ‘help build psychological confidence, for patients to live life to its full potential — not merely as a cancer survivor.

‘We are also running a ‘Turn Pink’ appeal this October fundraising for the new Unit. We will be working with schools, businesses, individuals and groups to turn Aneurin Bevan region pink on Wednesday, October 17th.

‘This will allow us to provide an improved holistic service for patients, and will complement the existing good work and innovation of the Breast Service team.’

Calendars, shot and produced by Kenny Barnett of Ross Photoz photography, will be on sale later this year and anyone interested in helping with fundraising or promotion can get involved by going to www.justgiving.com type in Aneurin Bevan and follow instructions,highlighting fund F303 so the money gets allocated to the correct fund.

Supporters also have a Facebook page at ‘Friends of the New Breast Care Unit - Centre of Excellence.’