A Conversation with Anouska and Tamara Beckwith
Interview by Marcella Martinelli
To commemorate The Lady Garden Foundation’s tenth anniversary, Anouska Beckwith has embraced the heartfelt role of Creative Director to create something truly special: a limited-edition 2025 calendar captured through the lens of Lily Bertrand-Webb.
We had the privilege of speaking with Anouska and Tamara Beckwith about their profoundly personal mission with The Lady Garden Foundation, a cause that has become a beacon of hope and empowerment over the past decade. For Anouska, this journey is incredibly close to her heart. It is dedicated to the memory of her cherished grandmother, Paula Beckwith, who valiantly battled gynaecological cancer.
Their vision for The Lady Garden Foundation is beautifully simple yet profoundly powerful: to raise awareness, encourage open conversations, and empower women to take control of their health without fear or stigma. They want to create a world where every woman feels seen, heard, and supported, where women of all ages are educated about their bodies and emboldened to advocate for their well-being.
As Anouska and Tamara reflect on the foundation’s journey, their passion for the cause is evident. They speak not only as founders but also as women striving to create a lasting impact. Through initiatives like the limited-edition 2025 calendar, they aim to continue dismantling barriers, celebrating resilience, and inspiring women everywhere to value their bodies and voices.
The theme for the Calendar, “Women of Talent,” is a heartfelt celebration of exceptional women throughout history. Each page has been thoughtfully crafted, featuring empowering monthly mottos from icons such as Frida Kahlo, Audrey Hepburn, and Rosa Parks. You will also discover significant dates, moon phases, and gentle words of wisdom, all intricately woven together as a tribute to the strength, creativity, and resilience of women everywhere.
This calendar is more than just a collection of beautiful images; it serves as a poignant reminder for us all to uplift one another and continue to shape a world where every woman’s voice is heard and valued. As Gloria Steinem eloquently stated, “Don’t think about making women fit the world—think about making the world fit women.”
The Lady Garden Foundation is not just a charity; it’s a movement, a nurturing space built by women, for women, with love, hope, and unwavering dedication.
With the 2025 calendar celebrating Women of Talent, what message do you wish to convey to supporters and the community?
This calendar was conceived in honour of Lady Garden’s 10th anniversary, a milestone reflecting our commitment to women’s empowerment and our desire to inspire across generations. With this in mind, we have carefully curated a calendar that resonates with women of all ages. Whether it’s the admiration of a particular Woman of the Month, a reflection on the moon’s cycles, or the wisdom imparted through quotes from remarkable figures such as Rosa Parks and Dolly Parton, every detail has been infused with love and intention. We hope that this care is palpable for all who welcome it into their homes.
As Malala Yousafzai so beautifully expressed, “I think realising that you’re not alone, that you are standing with millions of your sisters around the world is vital.” In the face of the pain and strife that so many are enduring today, we found it essential to feature powerful women like Ama Pipi, Noor Fares, and Charlotte Dellal—each of whom has contributed to creating beauty, unity, and resilience. By standing together, we are an unstoppable force.
What motivated you to found the Lady Garden Foundation, and in what ways did your personal experience influence its mission?
Honestly, I would never have imagined in my wildest dreams that we would establish a Foundation in memory of my late mother. Yet, as life has a peculiar way of presenting opportunities, another co-founder, Mika Simmons, who had also lost her beloved mother to gynae cancer, approached my sister and me a few years after our mother’s passing in 2011. It felt like a meaningful way to make sense of the horror we found ourselves in. We had no clear idea of what we hoped to achieve. Still, we were determined that it would be more than simply raising money for The Royal Marsden, especially for our wonderful doctor, Professor Susanna Banerjee. It was a stark reminder that Britain shamefully lagged behind America, Italy, and several other countries in the detection of the five gynae cancers. Raising awareness became our mission.
Reflecting on the foundation’s journey, what have been some of its most rewarding moments or milestones?
Having just celebrated our 10th anniversary, I believe we are incredibly proud of all our achievements. We are still battling on. Our doctors, especially John Butler, are truly Earth Angels, and when he introduces us to one of his remarkable patients, you feel very humbled. Obtaining research results that we have funded brings a huge moment of joy, but meeting survivors or those in treatment makes the entire process much more tangible and, more crucially, spurs us on to make a difference.
The number of women who reach out to tell us how we have helped them, in both small and significant ways, is yet another small means of alleviating our own Mother’s death, making it slightly less painful.
We firmly believe in breaking taboos; most women don’t actually refer to their lady garden as a vagina. We are now firmly dedicated to the belief that education is essential. We have grand plans and have no intention of calling it a day!
