How a prosecco-fuelled afternoon tea led villagers near Harborough to take part a 'tastefully nude' calendar for charity

A bunch of brave women from a village near Market Harborough are creating a “tastefully nude” 2022 calendar to boost two health charities.

Some 22 willing women in the village of Sibbertoft have stepped forward to have their pictures taken or to help get the venture off the ground.

And their bold vision is already starting to pay off as advance orders pour in for the calendar which has got people talking in and around Sibbertoft.

Sue Roughley, 57, who’s helping to spearhead the not quite bare it all production, told the Harborough Mail: “It’s just so much fun to do and we’re all having a fantastic time pulling this tastefully nude calendar together.

“But we are also getting our clothes off and having our photos taken to support two absolutely brilliant charities.

“Almost of us have very sadly been touched at some point by cancer of heart disease,” added Sue.

“We actually have a breast cancer survivor in our group so this really is close to home.

“So we are splitting all of the cash that we raise 50/50 to donate to the Breast Cancer Now and British Heart Foundation charities.

“The whole thing kicked off after we enjoyed a prosecco-fuelled afternoon tea here back in May.

“We started asking ourselves how our village could get involved in to generate money for these charities.

“The idea of a calendar was suggested and being a mischievous bunch of fun-loving ladies, a tastefully nude calendar was the obvious choice,” said the mum-of-two and grandmother-of-four.

Sue said they were inspired by the classic 2003 tear-jerking comedy Calendar Girls, starring Julie Walters and Helen Mirren.

“We all love the movie, it’s an all-time epic and it helped to point the way forward for us.

“We thought that if they can do it and everybody loves it then we can do it too.

“We were initially worried about tracking down 12 ladies who were going to be up for it,” joked Sue.

“But our minds were soon put to rest as after doing a leaflet drop in the village an astonishing 22 women put their hands up!

“Several amateur photographers here have been press-ganged into helping with the photos themselves - and they’re doing a first-class job.

“We’ve been taking breath-taking colour pictures on farms, in people’s back gardens and elsewhere throughout the summer – and I’ll be starring in March!

“Our youngest pin-up star is in her late 30s and we range all the way through to our late 70s.

“I think we’ve all got so much into this dream of ours as well because after so many Covid lockdowns people have been bursting to get out and mix again,” said Sue.

“It’s just been incredible to see other villagers again that we’ve not been able to meet up with for ages.

“We have all made amazing new friends, our calendar is the talk of the village and it’s actually now the hot topic of the moment in nearby villages such as Clipston and Naseby as well.

“We’ve already sold almost 90 calendars costing £15 each.

“We’re printing up to 400 calendars – and we aim to raise over £2,000 for each charity.

“The calendar should be ready for printing soon and orders are coming in thick and fast.

“We have a generous sponsor who is paying for the printing costs and a designer to put it all together and we are very grateful to them,” stressed Sue.

“We are all on a highly-focused mission here and we couldn’t be happier or prouder with the way it’s going so far.

“All our husbands and families are fully behind us.

“And it’s put a smile on everybody’s face as we go marching into battle for two fantastic charities which help to save people’s lives.”

You can check out the super Sibbertoft Calendar Girls on their dedicated Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/378925223815982And you can order the hottest calendar in town by making payment to Sue’s Nationwide Building Society account: Susan Roughley (with the ‘e’) – Nationwide Acc 73299663 sort code 07-16-60