Calendar girls strike a pose 1940s-style

1:49pm Thursday 28th August 2008

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ANYONE who still thinks of the Women's Institute as being old-fashioned and all about jam and Jerusalem will be forced to think again after seeing a calendar featuring the glamorous women from north Hampshire's newest branch.

Members of Bramley WI Lite, which was set up last year by Emma Cunningham, have ditched their everyday threads and taken a step back in time, transforming themselves into vintage glamour pusses.

Ms Cunningham, 35, wanted to create a new way for young women in the village to socialise, and now, to raise money for Naomi House Children's Hospice, in Sutton Scotney, a dozen WI Lite members have posed for pictures in a charity calendar.

The calendar, due to go on sale next month, features the ladies recreating beautiful poses, including a 1940s forces sweetheart and a silver screen icon.

But unlike the famous WI calendar created by members of a Yorkshire WI, and featured in the 2003 film Calendar Girls, the women from Bramley WI Lite do not bare all in their version.

The pictures were taken by local photographer Simon Chambers, from Loddon Photography, based in Sherfield-on-Loddon.

Ms Cunningham, who is Miss December, said: "Everyone looks great in the photos. I am really thrilled with how the calendar has turned out. It looks fantastic.

"We were able to style the calendar shoot in a frugal way by reusing or borrowing clothes, so we only spent about £100 to makeover all of the girls."

She added: "On one day, our make-up was done by Sheree Domm, the daughter of one of our members, who is a trained make-up artist.

"We then copied the techniques she taught us and did it ourselves."

It is hoped that 1,000 calendars will be produced to raise cash for the children's hospice - a charity close to the hearts of the group because one of their members has a son who receives respite care there.

"We are hoping to get a sponsor who will cover the cost of the calendar in return for having their name on the front, so that all the money raised by the calendar can go to charity," explained Ms Cunningham.

If you are interested in sponsoring the calendar, call Ms Cunningham on 07885 896053.

It is hoped that the calendars will go on sale in September, priced at about £5 each. However pre-orders can be made via WI Lite's website www.bramleywi.com