Love Dot: Chorley's Gil Woods opens lingerie shop in memory of late gran who had a mastectomy

Gil Woods, 46, officially opened Love Dot last weekend named after her late gran Dorothy Dickinson, 83, who she describes as her idol.

The busy mum of three gave up her job of working in the commercial contracts section for a pharmaceutical company to follow her dream of opening a shop to empower women of all ages, shapes and sizes inclusive of the LGBTQ+ community. The shop, which is located at Pall Mall, opposite the Asda carpark, caters for everyone and also has a pre and post surgery range and a mastectomy range called Love me, love my secrets.

She told the Post: “My grandma is my inspiration and why I have called the shop Love Dot. She was well-known within the Chorley community – everyone loved her and we used to joke that she had more lives than a cat! When she found out she had breast cancer in her 40s she was told she would only live for another five years but, being the strong and determined women she was, she beat the odds and not only lived into old age but also beat breast cancer three times and esophageal cancer.

"Her experience with mastectomy bras was that were practical but lacked femininity and sexiness She wore the same type of bra for over 30 years, which is what inspired me to provide a line of lingerie for women who have had mastectomies or other breast surgeries, that is not only high quality but also helps them retain their femininity and feel sexy.”

Gil turned her dream idea in January into a reality six months later with the help of her joiner partner Trevor, 48, who built all the shop furniture for her.

She added: "I wanted to open a shop for women that when they come in there is a variety of choice for them. I’m here to inspire women to feel good. It’s all about having choice in underwear that makes you feel empowered. We are also going to be selling care packages for women in treatment which can be bought in store and online with the profit being donated to charity.

"I want this shop to be inspirational to women but also to be giving something back and helping the community, supporting women who are going through the most difficult period of their lives. My grandma was a trooper. She fought cancer several times. She wanted to give back herself and did a lot of charity work in aid of breast cancer, so now it’s my turn to carry on her legacy by living my dream.”

The store, which also provides a free bra fitting service, is open Tuesday to Saturday from 9am to 5pm.

For more information visit the Love Dot website HERE.