Once known for making jam and knitting sweaters, a group of women who raise money for leukemia research have gotten down to the bare facts - they've posed in the nude for a calendar as a new fundraising tack.
This move followed the death of one member's husband of the disease. The Rylstone and District chapter of the Women's Institute, a British service group born in 1915, decided their usual calendars of glowing sunsets and country cottages weren't grabbing enough attention, Reuters says - so they created a sendup of a garage mechanic's calendar, showing the middle-aged ladies with little other than pearls and hats.
At $US8, the 2000 calendar was an instant hit, raising $US500,000, Reuters says. And it's drawn thousands of letters, many from middle-aged women saying the charitable nudes in their age group have boosted their own self-esteem.
"We're in our 50s," says Miss October, Tricia Stewart. "And it doesn't bother us. And that seemed to come across."
Miss January, Beryl Banforth, opens the calendar chairing a meeting of members with only pearls and hats. She's a retired secretary - and 65 years old. The calendar ends with a group of members caroling in Santa Claus hats. In between, photos of local branch members, age 45-60, in various homey pursuits like cooking, Reuters says.
Miss July, Lynda Logan, tells Reuters the group was so shocked by John Baker, whose wife is in the chapter, that they would have done anything to draw attention to his death. But the ladies needed just a little help overcoming their shyness, Reuters says - they imbibed "generous quantities" of red wine.
"We're all great friends so there was no embarrassment," Miss May, 51-year-old nursing home manager Moyra Livesey, to Reuters. "In fact, watching each other covering ourselves strategically with sieves and plants and apple presses and the like was tremendous fun."
