An Aberystwyth businesswoman will be creating free headwear banks in honour of her late friend.

Emma Eckersley began the Murphy Project after friend Claire Murphy passed away from breast cancer last September.

The project has just been awarded £20,000 Welsh National Lottery funding to set up three free headwear banks, an online support group and four wellbeing days over the next two years.

Emma, 42 from Llanilar, said: “When I found out about the funding there was a lot of crying!

“The first thing I thought was Claire would be so buzzing, I really wanted to tell her.

“One thing I’ve noticed in Wales, especially in rural areas, it can be really lonely having cancer.

“It’s been very emotional and exciting.”

Emma started making headwear for her daughter Eadie during Emma’s maternity leave seven years ago.

After Claire got sick, Emma began making them for her too.

This “spiralled” until Emma established her business Eadiechops, making organic headwear for children, chemotherapy patients and those with alopecia.

She designs all her own fabrics and has them printed in the UK.

The Murphy Project will use organic headwear to create three free headwear banks spread across rural mid-Wales for people going through chemotherapy to use.

The first Murphy Project free wellbeing day will launch this April for oncology patients and their carers.

Practitioners will be attending the day including an oncology masseuse who specialises in scar tissue, tattooists for eyebrow and nipple tattooing, make-up artists, sound healing, yoga and reiki.

A wig specialist will also be travelling all the way from Stevenage to attend, offering wig cutting and alterations.

A representative from Marks and Spencer be there speaking about their mastectomy lingerie range, prosthetics and getting measured at one of their branches.

Keep up to date with the Murphy Project via the website and social media.