 |  |  | | | CALENDAR GIRLS MAKE A MILLION! | | | | |
| |  The WI Calendar Girls
Release Date: 11th August 2004
Those sassy WI girls from the Britain’s best loved alternative calendar ‘The Calendar Girls’, have topped the £1 million mark in raising money for research into leukaemia. Angela Baker, whose husband John died from non-hodgkin’s lymphoma and was the inspiration for the calendar, picked up a cheque, for £22,666 at a Gala luncheon in the south of France this weekend, breaking the £ million barrier.
The surprise cheque was presented to Angela by an anonymous Monaco businessman during the prestigious fundraising luncheon in the South of France. Angela could not believe the Girls had cracked the magic million, and said: “This is absolutely brilliant news for us. ‘The Calendar’ marked a turning point in what we were trying to achieve in John’s name. For the many people who still battle with leukaemia, the lymphomas and other blood cancers, it means so much to us that funding can go into important research for these serious diseases.”
The event was attended by 160 guests with some travelling from as far as Australia and America. Familiar faces included TV chef, Gary Rhodes with family and the King of Bahrain. Peggy Taylor, event organiser, said: “We are in our eighth year and this event has always been very successful. Everyone had a really good time. It’s absolutely great that the ‘Calendar Girls’ have been able to make the million at our event.”
The original Rylestone Ladies Alternative WI Calendar was published in 1999 for 2000. Inspired by Angela Baker’s husband John, who died of lymphoma in 1998, the calendar raised more than £500, 000 for Leukaemia Research in the UK and thousands more pounds for research in the US. The spectacular Calendar Girls film, which hit British screens last year, was dedicated to John (played by John Alderton) and helped to inspire two other calendars; one with the original ladies and another featuring the cast from the film.
David Grant, Leukaemia Research Scientific Director, said: “We’re delighted with how much money the ‘Calendar Girls’ have raised. The original calendar really captured the public’s interest and raised so much vital money for Leukaemia Research. It’s tremendous that these ladies have now hit a million with the recent calendars and we know it will benefit patients across the country. We take off our hats to the ‘Calendar Girls’.”
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