But what inspires people to pose in the buff? Jemma Walton found out.

IT isn't every woman who could persuade 12 men to pay £350 and pose naked for her, but Sharon Peter has managed it.

Hairdresser Sharon is the brains behind Spalding's 2009 calendar featuring 12 local businessmen in various states of undress, which will be sold to make money for Macmillan.

"I became involved with Macmillan because someone asked if I wanted to come along to a meeting and find out more about what they do," the 37-year-old said.

"And I realised that we only had two Macmillan nurses in our area. I was surprised that there weren't more. I decided to get involved with the fund-raising side of things because I thought that if there were 20 of us instead of five, we would be able to raise more money."



Sharon knew one of the nurses, who came into her hairdressing salon, Strands of Spalding, but one of them went on maternity leave, meaning we only had one in the Spalding area. "Macmillan nurses do such a brilliant job and really help people at a very difficult time in their lives, and I thought the calendar would be a good way of raising funds to pay for another nurse.

"We need to sell 20 calendars at £6.99 each to pay for a Macmillan nurse for just one day."

Sharon decided to put a calendar together after realising she bought one for her salon every year – she spotted the advertising potential, and approached local businesses, asking them for £350 to appear in something that will hang on people's walls all year round.

"Putting it together was good fun," she added. "The blokes come in all shapes and sizes, and the calendar should put a smile on the faces of the ladies who buy them. "We have a couple of men on the Macmillan board in Spalding, and they are keen to do a women's version next year. But I say that it's mainly ladies who buy calendars, and we want to look at naked men."

The male models were:
Models were provided by sponsors All Aspects Car Care, Baytree Nurseries Garden Centre, CER Groundworks, Holbeach Tyres, Joe's Restaurant, M Yould Plumbing and Heating, Morriss and Mennie, PurerClean, Ray Turner Labour, Spalding Air Conditioning Services, Stuart's The Barber's Shop and Welland Print.

The calendar costs £6.99, and can be bought from places around Spalding, including Baytree Nurseries, the Spalding Guardian offices and Bookmark in The Crescent.

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