WOMEN from the Penarth & District Fundraising Group have bared all for a calendar photo shoot to raise money, and a few smiles, for Marie Curie.

The new calendar, inspired by the film ‘Calendar Girls’, was launched on Monday, September 28 by the 12 local women who modelled for its pages.

Each month of the calendar follows a theme, with the ladies’ dignity being covered by some cleverly placed props.

The Daffia Girls calendar is priced at £5 and will be sold in the local area. The cost of producing the calendar has been supported by local businesses, meaning all funds raised through calendar sales will help Marie Curie provide care and support for people living with a terminal illness, and their families.

The charity’s Cardiff & the Vale Hospice is based in Penarth, and the support of local fundraising groups helps meet the £4.4m a year running costs of the important building.

The Penarth & District Fundraising Group members know how important the care provided by the local hospice is.

One of the group’s former members, Carol Haus, was cared for at the hospice before her death two years ago.

Group Chair Shelagh Williams said: “Most of us know someone who has been supported by the charity in one way or another, and Carol is one of the many local people who have been cared for at the hospice.

“I think our group are well known for putting on community fundraising events such as fashion shows, quiz nights and hog roasts, but we wanted to do something over and above our usual fundraising activities, and this calendar seemed like a great idea to raise some more money for this fantastic charity.”

Photos for the calendar were taken at the home of one of the group members in Penarth and the Old School in Sully. The calendar itself was created by photographers from the Bannister Creative Group, who gave up their time at no cost to support the group’s fundraising efforts. It is estimated that more than 1,000 hours went into the creation of the Daffia Girls calendar.

Group Treasurer Nerys Thomas, who appears on the front of the calendar, added: “We’re all local ladies and familiar faces that people might bump into on the street. The majority of us are over 60, but when you get to our age you don’t care what people think - it was a fun way of raising money for Marie Curie, which is a cause close to all of our hearts.

“A couple of glasses of Prosecco on the first day certainly helped with our nerves, and as the days went on we became more confident and less inhibitive.

"Everyone connected with the group is extremely pleased with the calendar – the end result has far exceeded our expectations and we’re grateful to everyone who helped with its creation.”

To purchase a copy of the calendar please email neryslthomas@tiscali.co.uk or jwilliams531@btinternet.com.

To learn more about the work of Marie Curie, please visit www.mariecurie.org.uk.