Businesswomen strip for charity calendar (From Oxford Mail)

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Businesswomen strip for charity calendar

9:00am Thursday 7th October 2010 in Bicester

The Networking Women group, including Sue Carlisle, back row second from left, and Lisa Cherry, back row third from left. Inset, Amy Trevaskus is pictured for June and Claire Willcox for January

A GROUP of businesswomen have “done a W.I.” and posed naked for a calendar to raise money for a breast cancer charity.

Echoing the success of the Rylstone Women’s Institute in North Yorkshire, the ladies of Networking Women, who meet in Witney and Bicester, undressed and posed for a 15-month calendar, with all proceeds going to Breast Cancer Haven.

Single mum-of-two Lisa Cherry, 40, from Witney, who founded Networking Women with Sue Carlisle, 42, said: “We set up our networking group earlier this year to give other women like us the chance to network around the school run. Up until that point, local networking meetings had been early in the morning, which many women found difficult.

“Networking Women meets after school and has become very popular.

“We talked about how we could raise money for charity and that’s when the calendar idea came up.”

Ms Carlisle, a single mum-of-two, from Witney, runs two businesses – one as a freelance PA and the other offering money-saving ideas to schools.

She said: “We were in hysterics when someone first suggested doing a nude calendar. Then we thought: ‘Let’s give it a go!’ “Straight away we had a female photographer, make-up artist, hairdresser and even a female printer volunteering to help, and of course a lot of very nervous, networking ladies who were willing to pose for the calendar.

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COMMENT: Naked ambition

“And just three weeks after coming up with the idea we had our beautiful calendar on sale.”

The calendar overlaps into 2012 to cater for busy women.

Ms Cherry, who runs her own holistic therapy business, said: “Heythrop House gave us use of their beautiful rooms and even a staff member for free and our photographer just got to work. It’s very tasteful.

“Cushions, curtains, cleverly-folded legs and arms make sure there’s nothing risqué about it at all.”

“When I came to do my picture I was suddenly very nervous. I’d been running around organising everyone else with Sue then suddenly I was faced with taking my dressing gown off and posing naked.

“But the photographer was amazing and made me feel very at ease.

“I think all of us ladies really enjoyed taking part and we were amazed by how beautiful the pictures turned out.

“We’re all very proud of the calendar.”

And all proceeds from the calendar will go to Breast Cancer Haven, a charity which offers free holistic treatments to breast cancer sufferers.

The calendar is being launched at a party tonight at Heythrop Park with special guest Oxford United player Jack Midson.

dwaite@oxfordmail.co.uk l Tickets for the party cost £40, available at networkingwomen.org.uk l The calendar costs £10 and is also available at networkingwomen.org.uk or thenwcalendar.co.uk or at Eve gift shop, 51b Market Square, Witney.

Comments(16)

SNJ says...
9:31am Thu 7 Oct 10

The reporter can spell "calendar": why can't the headline-writer manage it?