Live on the sofa with ‘The Rouge’ for cancer

Michelle Rugeroni, aka The Rouge, took her ‘On the Sofa’ podcast to a live audience for the very first time last week to raise funds for Breast Cancer Support Group (BCSG) Gibraltar.

The event was part of October’s Breast Cancer Awareness campaign and aimed to raise money and awareness with over £2,500 raised for the charity.

“Sadly, cancer affects one in two of us,” said Ms Rugeroni and the event was her way of giving back to her “much-loved community”.

On the sofa were six guests all willing to take on questions and engage in conversation. The guests have featured in The Rouge’s podcasts and are well-known members of the community who were carefully selected for their wide-ranging views and contributions to Gibraltar’s society.

The evening began with an introduction from Mikey Rugeroni, thanking their sponsors Anglo Hispano, Gedime Motors & the Musicians Association of Gibraltar for their generosity.

The first speaker was The Nautilus Project’s Lewis Stagnetto, who is a cancer survivor himself. He explained how he coped with his diagnosis and treatment. He also shared his thoughts on the importance of protecting the environment and living sustainably.

Next on the sofa was Rebecca Calderon who recounted her journey to Gibraltar from the United Kingdom in a Renault 5, one stormy Christmas Eve in the early Eighties. Her first impression of the Rock was how cheap cigarettes were, but she liked Gibraltar so much that she never left and now lives in her dream home and works in her dream job.

Joining them was Eric Rowbottom, who spoke about living and viewing life from a different perspective – quite literally. He is an advocate for better accessibility for all in Gibraltar. Needless to say, his epic climb to the top of Mediterranean Steps was a topic of conversation.

Local and online personality Susan Levy gave the audience food for thought, talking about growing up in Gibraltar in the pre-internet days. Despite her online presence, she is an advocate for taking time off social media and focusing on the more traditional aspects of family life.

Hot on her heels was retired teacher and biker Kenneth Cardona. Never short of conversation, he opened up to the audience and confessed to having a weekend mistress “Harley”, his beloved motorbike.

Last on the sofa was Yalta Pons with her stories of determination, resilience and perseverance against people’s indifference towards her. Thirty years on, she is a mentor to numerous young people and has become a household name.

The speakers also invited questions from the audience, prompting open debate and conversation.

BCSG Chairperson Mercy Posso thanked all the participants and contributors for supporting the event.