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Help For Heroes Calendar

Published: 9th December 2009 10:52

Help for Heroes Calendar

April 2010

To help raise funds and purchase your own calendar visit:

http://www.helpforheroesnudecalendar2010.bigcartel.com/

We are local event fundraisers from the Forest of Dean, Bethany - a personal trainer and Amy - a Health Care Assistant.

Since January 2009 we have raised over £2000 for charities such as Neuroblastoma Society, Cancer Research and The Royal British Legion; bringing together teams for events such as Cardiff half Marathon, Marine Commando Challenge and Gloucester 10k.

Our latest fundraising effort is inspired by ‘Help for Heroes'.

A group of 15 ladies and 1 man have adorned and enhanced the wide range of locations chosen across the Forest of Dean. By promoting and publicising our calendar we can reach our goal for the charity Help for Heroes.

We would like to tell you how this all began:

One October night at 3.00 am whilst on the orthopaedic ward at the Gloucester Royal Hospital, reflecting on the events of what had been a busy evening, Amy sat down for her break. The hospital ward that had been frantic with the Saturday night rush, was quiet now and all the patients were asleep.

There it was! An article about one of our soldiers, Fusilier Thomas James, who had survived an incident in which his colleague was killed. I just had a feeling that I needed to do something to help. An overwhelming feeling of gratitude for what our forces do for us, in the line of their duty. I needed to do something for a group of people that really, really count and who deserve our support.

Bethany and I had a chat the following day, we both had a strong feeling that we wanted to do something, to go the extra mile for our armed forces. We would do this by supporting our chosen charity ‘Help for Heroes'. We would do it by producing a calendar and then it all began......and such a lot to do in such a short time, commencing on November 3rd 2009 - Our first photo shoots took place.

IMAGINE if you will sinking into Cannop Ponds. In November!
That's what Bethany Shaw endured to raise funds for Help the Heroes charity to contribute to ‘January' for a calender which will go on sale from December 5.
"I love water, that's why I wanted to do a water shoot. But it was, I can only say, freezing," says Bethany, from Lydney. "I went completely numb. Another five minutes I would probably have died."
At least her mum was by the pond with a handy towel for a warming rub down.
The ‘Team ReadShaw in the Raw" charity calendar is the brainchild of best friends, Bethany and Amy Read, a health care assistant also from Lydney.
From idea to reality, the calendar has taken just about a month, remarkable considering this has meant engaging a photographer the girls could trust, getting people to pose, set up locations (all or most within the Forest) and sort out printing, production and promotion.
The first shoot wasn't until November 3. The last shoot, involving a few of the models was last Sunday at Bishopswood House in Ross-on-Wye.
Surprisingly, there wasn't too much arm twisting to get people involved.
"None of us had done this before," said Amy. "It was friends of friends and word of mouth, but most were really up for it. We were all new, all fresh and some of the girls were a bit cautious, but they trusted us to know it would be classily done. There's a thin line between something that's tasteful, and something that just isn't."
Photographer, Cassie Linton, originally from Bream, but now based in Newnham, made sure the line wasn't crossed.
As for the months. Bethany was January and water. February was strategically placed chocolates marking Valentine's Day. April showers were boots and an umbrella shot in woods near Coleford. June was flowers. July, the Union Jack. November is Sadie Baldwin aboard Amy's dad, Martin's SRS Cinderford articulated lorry. Sadie's husband, Lance Corporal Ricky Baldwin was serving with 5 Rifles in Germany when he died in a road accident last June.
"I was delighted to be asked to join in with the calendar because Help for Heroes is a charity helping wounded soliders. After all the army and the soldiers have done for us, it's nice to be able to repay them in some way."
October was shot in a garage with a tyres and bikes theme. And there's also one of Lydney boxer, Chris Higgs using his boxing gloves to give some cover for Bethany and Amy.

Courtesy of www.forest-and-wye-today.co.uk