The Birthday Billboard I’ll Never Forget

I'm not someone who usually makes a big deal of my birthday. I like keeping things low-key — a nice dinner, maybe a spa day, the sort of thing that feels indulgent without demanding too much attention. But this year something happened that I wasn't expecting, and I'm still thinking about it.

Someone booked a billboard for me.

It went up on 5th June in Manchester city centre, right in the heart of the Northern Quarter, and I only found out on the day.

When I saw it, I completely froze. My name, my face, my brand — Frore, The Lingerie Club — all there on a huge digital screen in the middle of a city I love.

I'm not going to pretend I didn't cry. I absolutely did.

Here's why this hit so differently: I spend a lot of time behind the scenes. I'm the one designing the boxes, curating the sets, writing the newsletter, running the shoots, thinking about what the next goddess should feel like. Most people who love Frore know the brand — they don't always know the person. And that's how I've wanted it, mostly. But that billboard felt like someone saw through all of that and said: we see you. Not just the brand. You.

It was also a reminder of something I can sometimes forget: that building something from scratch, especially as a woman, especially when you're doing it all yourself, is genuinely hard. It takes so much out of you. There are days when you question whether any of it is working, whether anyone is paying attention, whether it even matters.

And then something like this happens, and you remember it does. It matters to the people who receive a box and feel seen for the first time in ages. It matters to the women who finally buy something just for themselves. It matters to the community who show up and cheer each other on.

So I wanted to write this down, not because I need to share everything, but because I think there's something in it for anyone who's building something, anyone who's putting themselves into work that feels deeply personal, anyone who wonders whether they're doing enough.

You are. Keep going. The things you're creating matter, even when you can't see it yet.

And if someone one day books you a billboard in Manchester... let yourself cry. You've earned it.

With so much love,
Lorna xo