Festival fundraising calendar

As part of a community fundraiser, twelve Bollington businessmen bravely agreed to be photographed in the buff. Local plumbers, butchers and estate agents stripped naked for the 2009 calendar, being sold to raise funds for the popular Bollington Festival.

“We didn’t get the usual sponsorship so we had to be creative,” says marketing executive and a calendar coordinator, Kate Kilpatrick. “When you’re asking people to part with hard earned cash, it’s nice to put a smile on their faces and we certainly think the calendar will do that.”

All the businessmen taking part are well known in Bollington, adding to the calendar’s appeal.

“At the end of the day, it’s just a bit of fun,” says Jeremy Heathcote (right), whose family have run a butchers in the village for the past one hundred years. “I expect to get a lot of ribbing from customers, but if it helps to raise money for the festival I’m happy to take the flack.”

Photographer Kate McLean is full of admiration for her willing victims. “They didn’t know me from Adam”, she says, “although obviously we’re much better acquainted now! I was so impressed though, with the way all the guys approached the project and fortunately we managed to have lots of laughs along the way.”

Calendars cost £8 and will be available to buy through various outlets at the beginning of November 2008. Calendars will also be available to buy online at the Festival web site. An exhibition of Kate McLean's work is on show at the Café Waterside, the new café at Clarence Mill, from 5th December 2008 to 31 January 2009.

The calendar photographs were taken by Kate McLean, Kate McLean Design