SOUTH SOMERSET NEWS: Calendar coins in cash for cancer charities

AN AMAZING £12,000 has been donated to cancer charities – thanks to the sell-out success of a Calendar Girls-style calendar in South Somerset.

Women and men, who were either fighting or surviving their own cancer battles, were joined by others affected by the disease last year to strip off with their modesty preserved to raise money for Breast Cancer Campaign and Cancer Research UK.

The idea for a calendar came last year during a chat between Chard photographer Hayley Lynch, of Tigerfly Photography, and breast cancer survivor Maria Wadey.

The project became much more poignant when their friend Angie Gerrard lost her own battle to cancer in June last year.

PHOTO – TOP: Presenting £12,002.11 to cancer charities are members of the Calendar Girls and Boys project which was dedicated to the memory of cancer victim Angie Gerrard. At the front of the group are, from left, Angie's husband Rob Gerrard, photographer Hayley Lynch, Dawn Harrison of Cancer Research UK, and Angie's mother Phyl Hack.

PHOTO – RIGHT: The calendar was in memory of Angie Gerrard who died last year from breast cancer.

The majority of the calendar models came from Chard, but others were from Ilminster, Yeovil, Taunton and further afield.

And no different to how surprised the original Calendar Girls from a Yorkshire branch of the Women’s Institute were when their calendar was such a success in 1999 in aid of Leukaemia Research – the Somerset version has also been a great hit.

Hayley said: “We had planned to sell a couple of hundred, but we ended having 1,000 copies made.

“They’ve gone all over the world such as Australia, Cyprus, Portugal and Spain and we’ve now only got a handful left.

“We’ve been amazed at how well it’s done. We never thought it would be this successful.”

PHOTO - RIGHT: Photographer Hayley Lynch with the celebratory cake.

Dawn Harrison, of Cancer Research UK, told the Yeovil Press: “It’s been an amazing achievement and everyone involved with the calendar should be very proud of their efforts.”

The project has also seen love blossom between a pair of the Calendar Boys and Girls with Vickie Hobbs and Will Scott-Robinson becoming a couple after getting involved with the calendar venture.

A presentation was held on Saturday (February 28, 2015) where the calendar supporters gathered together with cheques for £6,000 each for the two charities.

Angie Gerrard’s husband Rob was also present along with her mother Phyl Hack.

People were also able to tuck into a fantastic cake – in the form of a giant cheque representing the £12,002.11 raised – made by Daisy Banks, of Daisy’s Cakes.

PHOTOS: Taken on Saturday (February 28, 2015) at the cheque presentation to Cancer Research UK and the Breast Cancer Campaign.

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