These South Shields women are set to bare all for Macmillan cancer charity

Linda Gordon, 53, Julie Cunningham, 55, Angela Davies, 55, daughter Lana Davies, 23, Tracey Newham, 54, Karen Donnelly, 50, Heather Watt, 62, Karen Sparkes, 53, Jean Cook, 59 and daughter Elishia Cook, 21 will take to the stage in Whiteleas Social Club on Saturday, November 30 to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Close friends Linda and Julie set up the Macmillan Fundraising group in South Shields after both losing their husbands to cancer within two years of each other.

The group now organises fundraising events for the charity throughout the year, but the ladies have taken it up a level with their latest challenge, which will see them strip down to their underwear on stage.

“We do a lot of social nights, but the idea for the full monty came about as a bit of fun after we saw the one on TV,” said Linda, whose husband passed away in July 2016.

“All 10 of us have been affected by cancer in some way. Everyone has a story of their own, they’ve either lost a parent, sister, or other family members to cancer.”

She continued: “It’s also about raising awareness, having a bit of fun and just saying ‘this is us’. Although there’s a couple of younger girls doing it, primarily it’s older women saying ‘this is us, we’re not ashamed of ourselves’.”

The women have already sold 300 tickets to the event, which is now sold-out and looks set to raise thousands for the charity.

Meanwhile raffle prizes for the night, including £500 cash, have been donated by local businesses.

However, the nerves could be starting to set in for the women as the big night approaches.

“We’re getting excited, but it’s quite emotional as well,” said Linda.

“We’re all quite nervous because we’ve all been touched by cancer.”

She added: “We just hope everyone enjoys the night.

“We like to have fun, but underneath there’s a serious story behind it.”

Visit the South Shields Macmillan Fundraising Group Facebook page for more updates.