CALENDAR GIRLS is inspired by the British story of the Yorkshire women who set out to raise money for the Leukaemia Research Fund by posing nude for an alternative Women's Institute calendar. Their courage and chutzpah turned a local story into an international media phenomenon and inspired millions of women worldwide. The calendar girls raised well over half a million pounds and even out sold the Britney Spears Calendar in the United States.

 


Miss February on the original Calendar and Miss December on the 2004 Calendar.

Angela is 57 year old with two children, Rachel and Matthew and four grandchildren. She is Deputy Superintendent Registrar for North Yorkshire County Council performing marriages in that area, a job she has enjoyed for 20 years.

The Calendar was dedicated to her late husband John who died in July 1998 from non-Hodgkins lymphoma. John was Assistant National Park Officer for the Yorkshire Dales, a job he very much enjoyed.

He will be remembered as "Mr Sustainability" because of his dedication to sustaining the beauty of the Dales for future generations. The Countryside Museum in Hawes was the last project John worked on and there is an Exhibition Hall dedicated to him.

Money raised from the Calendar equipped a laboratory at Leeds University and the Unit is named after John. Funds were used to complete an Out Patient Unit on the Ward where John was treated at Leeds General Infirmary.

Angela is very proud of all that the Calendar has achieved and looks forward to the film Calendar Girls being a great success and raising lots more money for Leukaemia Research Fund



Miss October on the original Calendar and Miss August on the 2004 Calendar. Married to Ian, with 2 children, Micky (24), Lizzi (26). Trained as a diagnostic radiographer at Sunderland Royal Infirmary.

Moved to Skipton in 1973 and then to the village of Cracoe in 1984, where she became friends with Ros Fawcett(November) and Angela Baker(February).

At Angela's suggestion Tricia joined Rylstone & District WI in 1985. She became an active member, entering WI competitions and serving as Treasurer for 2 years. Ian and Tricia became great friends of Angela and her husband John. Their children babysat for Lizzi and Micky.

John was Lizzi's mentor during her time at Liverpool University. He supported her with her studies and actively helped with her dissertation on Sustainability.

In October 1997, Lizzi went travelling, with John's encouragement. When in February 1998, John was diagnosed with non Hodgkin's Lymphoma. He insisted she stayed in Australia and he would see her after her trip when he recovered from the disease.

After John's death, it was Tricia's idea to produce the Alternate WI Calendar in memory of John and to raise funds for Leukaemia research.

Throughout the course of the calendar, Tricia kept a diary of letters to Lizzi, which chronicled the events of that amazing time. That diary became a book, published by Pan Macmillan entitled Calendar Girl.

Thinking the calendar would be over by January 2000, Tricia embarked on a course to become a Body Control Pilates teacher. She now runs classes from her studio in Cracoe.



Miss January in the original Calendar and Miss June in the 2004 Calendar.

Beryl is married to Terry, they have two children Mark and Louise. She has been a W.I. member for over 36 years, serving in various capacities in both Rylstone and District branch and the Upper Wharfedale group.

A life long "thespian" at one point she, John and Angela were all members of the local drama group and the Rylstone and Hetton Choir which her husband conducts.



Miss November in the original calendar and Miss April in the new calendar.

I was born in Embsay near Skipton, one of six children. We looked like the Von Trapp Family out of the Sound of Music, because my mum used to make us dresses out of the same fabric. I am married to Chris who manufactures tents and marqueees and we have two children James age 27 aand Helen age 23. We moved to Cracoe in 1981 and opened the Cracoe Cafe which we ran for twelve years. An evening in the local Pub was to change my life! Some of the 'Calendar girls' were in the pub having a brainstorming session about the Calendar and asked me if would like to take part. I said no I couldn't possibly take my clothes off and pose nude and I wasn't a member of WI. When they said they were doing it in memory of John and raising money for Leukaemia Research I decided I couldn't say no. I had known John and Angela since first moving to the village. So that night after a few glasses of red wine I went home as Miss November - and had to join the WI...



Miss July in the original calendar and Miss March in the new Calendar.

Lynda is an artist who helps run the family Gallery in Ripley, Harrogate, North Yorkshire. She is married to Terry who took the photographs of all the WI ladies for both the original and the new Calendar. All of the photos were taken in their 17th century home in the Yorkshire Dales. She admits that her husband has seen some of her friends in the nude, but as Prince Charles told her that she was his favorite, she doesn't mind.

There is a family connection as to why the Calendar was made and dedicated to John Baker. Lynda and Terry's daughter Georgina is married to Matthew the son of John and Angela (Miss February). Now Angela, Lynda and Terry share in the joy of their granddaughters Helena and Kristina. She also has a dear grandson Edward from her son Simon and his wife Emma.



Miss September on the original calendar and Miss May on the new 2004 calendar.

Christine works full-time as an administrator in a College in Skipton. Christine was very nervous before the first photo session and wondered why on earth she had agreed to take part in such an unusual scheme. She never dreamt that all this would lead to herself and the other girls going to such wonderful places and meeting so many amazing people from all walks of life; some famous, some very ordinary just like herself. And to have a film made of their story and actually appear in it, well...

John, her husband of 22 years, was asked during an interview by an American TV crew how he thought all this fame had affected his wife. He said that "Christine was now much more confident and could stand up and speak in front of 400 people," but when this was reported on their website, he was misquoted as saying that "Christine could now stand up, strip off, and speak in front of 400 people." She assures us that this is not something she makes a habit of!