Calendar girls raise £30,000 for charity (From Malvern Gazette)

Calendar girls raise £30,000 for charity

12:00pm Tuesday 19th March 2013 in News By Sarah Taylor

A GROUP of ‘game birds’ who ditched their clothes for a calendar last year have raised £30,000 for a charity close to their hearts.

The 24 Herefordshire friends, aged 18 to mid-40s, bared all to raise money for the Midlands Air Ambulance and presented the charity with the cheque on Saturday.

They chose the charity in memory of their friend Richard Warr, who died in a car crash near Shobdon, Herefordshire, in August 2011.

Now, after less than a year on the shelves, their calendar has proved a hit both on home shores and abroad, selling about 3,500 copies and making headlines as far as New York.

Zoe Hooper came up with the idea and got the group together through Facebook, with Rich’s sister Gemma taking the saucy snaps. She said: “We originally aimed to raise £10,000 we can’t believe it has gone so well.

“Gemma is obviously very proud of what we have achieved. The whole family has been behind us all the way and they are pleased something positive came out of the tragedy.” Ms Hooper has been looking forward to handing the cheque over alongside most of the women from the calendar.

She said: “It has been a long project. I am really proud of the calendar and of all the girls that got involved as well.”