Maya Maya aims to raise 10K by going ‘Monty’ for CancerCare
The glamorous ladies from Maya Maya clothing in Kendal are preparing to bare their assets in a bid to raise £10,000 for CancerCare in South Cumbria.
Owner Amanda Slattery and her team members Carly Jones, Bev Tyson and Leanne Addison, all from Kendal, will be performing ‘Maya Maya Goes Monty’ at Kendal Rugby Club on Friday, November 30.
They will be joined on stage for the fabulous all-singing, all-dancing performance by some of their customers and members of Kendal Rugby Club.
“Don’t just check out our boobs – check yours too!” is the powerful slogan for the event and two of the performers, Sheila Jones and Jill Santamara, who have both had surgery for breast cancer, will celebrate the female form – scars and all.
Maya Maya Goes Monty has proved to be an extremely popular event and is already sold out. However, Amanda is selling raffle tickets with a superb top prize and people can donate to CancerCare by text or through JustGiving (please see the details below).
Amanda said one of the main things about the event was that it would raise awareness of the importance of men and women checking themselves for signs and symptoms of breast cancer. She said she hoped it would also raise awareness of CancerCare’s free services such as counselling for anyone affected by cancer in South Cumbria.
Amanda said: “We are working really hard on the show because we want to raise as much money as possible for CancerCare.
“We’ve been working on our choreographed dance routines for months. So far we have raised about £7,000 and we are aiming to raise at least £10,000.
“I organise the shows because I want to raise money for charity and it’s also a great teambuilding experience. Everyone who is doing it with us has volunteered. All of my staff are doing it in their own time.”
Photographer, Ian Wood, has donated his services as has jeweller, Jonathan May, of The Studio Workshop in Kendal, who has made a special pendant for the event. Optiport-Audio are providing the light show and Amb-Vision are videoing the night free of charge.
People are travelling from all over the UK to watch the show and Amanda has paid for a professional comedian called Stefan Peddie and the band, Pazoozalators, to perform.
Maya Maya has been trading in Kendal for 13 years and Amanda has organised seven major charity events and raised more than £25,000 in that time.
Amanda, whose husband Stephen Slattery is the Dealer Principal at Rayrigg Motors in Morecambe and Windermere, seems unfazed about baring all: “My issue isn’t getting my boobs out, it’s forgetting my steps!
“Stephen said ‘Marvellous. Go for it!’ so we have. My girls have put such a lot of effort into the show. I hope everyone has a lovely night.”
Carly, whose mum is currently receiving treatment for cancer in Cheshire, said: “The night will be all about entertainment.
“Basically the whole evening will be on the theme of ‘If Maya Maya did the movies’. Each routine will represent a different film. It’s just a bit of fun really.
“It has been awesome to be involved in the show. We’re really enjoying it.”
Kia Motors has donated a cricket bat from The Oval signed by a ladies’ world cup cricket team and Rachel Miller from HSBC has said the bank will match fund any money raised on the night.
During the event, guests will have the opportunity to take part in an auction and a competition to guess the movies represented in each dance routine.
The raffle prizes will include a weekend break in a holiday cottage in Cartmel, a limited edition bottle of gin, a commissioned and unique painting by Jan Higham, a choice of gents’ Giordano shirt, a choice of gents’ MAC Jeans, a luxury shawl by Bitte Kai Rand, a luxury limited edition handbag by James Lakeland, a choice of any item from the Danske Jewellery collection, choice of Qudo ring and stone, a leather clutch bag from Lizabella, one free drink a week for a year from Slate Bar in Kendal, a £50 gift voucher for Pre-end gents’ clothing, lunch for two including a bottle of wine at Gilpin Spice, a sparkly necklace from Gaby’s Jewellery and a pair of gents’ cufflinks.
There will be just one winner who will receive all of the prizes. Raffle tickets are on sale at Maya Maya on Wainwright’s Yard in Kendal at £20 for a book of five tickets and members of the public can buy them.
Amanda added: “The Maya Maya team all feel that by showing how positive our friends, who have been affected by Breast Cancer in the past, are now being, it might just help someone who is faced with any similar events in the future.”
Neil Townsend, Chief Executive of CancerCare, said: “I am hugely grateful to Amanda and her team at Maya Maya for supporting the work we do with people affected by cancer.
“The money raised will help local people and their families to cope with cancer and enable them to live the best life possible.
“I am also gratified to see that Amanda, Leanne, Carly and Bev are helping to raise awareness of the importance of checking yourself – be you male or female – for signs and symptoms of breast cancer. Early detection is vitally important for treatment to be successful.
“I hope they have a fabulous night and wish to thank them for all their hard work and dedication to helping people with cancer.”
To donate to Maya may’s fundraising appeal for CancerCare please text MAYA87 to 70070 (for example, ‘MAYA87 £10) or go to: www.JustGiving.com/fundraising/mayamaya
Amanda also has a rail of donated scarves at Maya Maya which cost £10 each and every penny goes to CancerCare. Donations of more scarves would be gratefully received.
Follow Maya Maya on Instagram at: @mayamayalimited or Twitter at: @MayaMayaLtd and Facebook at: @MayaMayaKendal or on their website at: www.mayamaya.co.uk
The shop can be contacted on: 01539 737 366.
If you would like to find out more about the free support offered by CancerCare for individuals and their friends and families in South Cumbria and North Lancashire, please go to www.cancercare.org.uk or call the Lakes Centre in Kendal on 01539 735 800.
Photo Ian Wood