5:50pm Thursday 4th March 2010
When the Rylstone and District Women’s Institute decided to strip off for a cheeky calendar, the idea was to raise enough money for a sofa for their local hospital.
The Alternative WI Calendar was tasteful nudity, Jam and Jerusalem style, with the women photographed arranging flowers, pouring tea and painting watercolours.
The fundraising calendar soon sold out, prompting a reprint, and over the following year hundreds of thousands of copies were sold on both sides of the Atlantic.
Another calendar was produced to mark the 10th anniversary last year and to date, the WI ladies have raised nearly £2 million for Leukaemia Research.
In 2003 their story was made into a hit movie starring Helen Mirren and Julie Walters and there followed a stage play, which has enjoyed a successful West End run.
Now the play is returning to Yorkshire – to the Grand Theatre, Leeds – with an all-star cast.
Lynda Bellingham will return to the show, having appeared in both the original tour and the West End run and starring alongside her will be former EastEnders star Letitia Dean, Gemma Atkinson, Jan Harvey, Judith Barker and Debbie Chazen.
* Calendar Girls runs at the Leeds Grand Theatre from March 8 to 13. For tickets, ring 0844 8482703
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