Keep your eyes peeled to date Calendar Boys

The lads, from Todmorden, volunteered to help Jack’s House pub customer Amber Aspinall realise the calendar, and with help from many friends now have the Calendar Boys 2016 calendar on sale in plenty of time for Christmas.

Amber has been fighting cancer since she was 19. Now in remission, she wanted to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust which has given her a lot of help.

And following the recent death of Ben McKeever, a friend of many of the Jack’s House regulars who have helped pull the project together, all also wanted to raise money for the Diabetes UK charity in his memory through the calendar, and the result is that both charities will benefit, said Jack’s House landlady Sue Landale.

The pub is also selling fundraising wristbands for the diabetes charity which say “there’s only one Benjy Mac”. The wristbands, in Ben’s memory, are also available at Baileys Gym at Walsden.

One evening in late October the upstairs room at the Jack’s House, Burnley Road, Todmorden, was turned into a photographic studio for the pictures to be taken by Tessa Kerr of Two Islands Photography - Tessa is from Todmorden but has also lived in the Caymen Islands, hence its name.

Then the reins were taken up by Chris Hall and his team at Lambert Print and Design, Hebden Bridge, to produce the calendars in time for launch at the Jack’s House today.

Sue said it had been a wonderful collective effort for two causes which mean so much to a group of friends and regulars. “Amber had the original idea for the calendar and after Ben passed away friends of both of them really wanted to this.

“Everyone was quick to volunteer to help and rather than a girly calendar it was decided this one would feature Calendar Boys,” said Sue.

“Everything’s been done for free and the eight models are pictured some singly, some in pairs and some in groups.

“They really enjoyed the night and may of the poses are based around their hobbies or work.”

Their modesty only protected by some careful props placement, the eight are Mick Ormerod, John Dawson, Dave Brierley, Richard Mills, Sam Ash, James Lowden, Johnny Kerr and Roger Kerr.

Sue said they were on sale for £5 and were available from Jack’s House itself or Halo fashions at Patmos, Burnley Road, Todmorden, with hopefully other sale outlets lined up for the future.

The team which have produced the calendar - which Lambert’s can reprint as demand allows - hope that as many people as possible will buy one and have a bit of fun as the months go by in 2016 while raising money for two very deserving causes.

The Teenage Cancer Trust creates world-class cancer services for young people in the UK, providing life-changing care and support so young people don’t have to face cancer alone. You can learn more about at www.teenagecancertrust.org

Diabetes UK provides help and information about the condition and how it applies to all walks of life. You can find out more at www.diabetes.org.uk