A GUTSY group of women have dared to bare all for a Calendar Girls style shoot in aid of charity. Cast members from the Kilmacolm Dramatic Society stripped off as part of a bold production of 2003 comedy film Calendar Girls.

Showcased at the Kidston Hall in High Street, Kilmacolm last month, six local ladies staged the heartwarming story in a bid to raise funds for the Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research Society.

Just like the original Calendar Girls, fledgling stars Claire McClatchie, Gill Durham, Eleanor McKellar, Suzie Dunlop, Kate Watt and Claire Fraser have also unveiled their very own nude calendar - with a total of 250 copies being sold out within a matter of days.

Photographs from the shoot show the women posing with a number of strategically placed objects to maintain their decency - some of which include a watering can, sponge cake, tea cups - and even a bottle of vodka.

Reflecting on the "liberating" experience, mum-of-two Claire McClatchie, who played leading character Chris in the performance, said: "It was such a fun experience and it has caused an immense stir within the village.

"I have been a member of the Kilmacolm Dramatic Society for a number of years but when I was asked to take part in Calendar Girls and perform on stage almost nude, I was a bit apprehensive, I thought - am I mad for doing this?

"However I'm glad I did it because it was a lot of fun and tremendously liberating." Although originally planned just as a production, the ladies decided to take the plunge by shooting their very own charity calendar which would be sold in newsagent shops throughout the village.

Just a month before the performance, the six women teamed up with photographer Carol Biggin to put together the shots, providing them with plenty of laughs along the way.

"Many of the photographs were taken in my kitchen - we were all praying that the window cleaner wouldn't come round!" Claire chuckled.

"It was a lot of fun. One of us would be posing nude behind a piano while another was standing out in the garden with just a bottle of vodka to cover up their modesty.

"One of the funniest moments was when the other Claire was standing outside almost completely nude and her husband decided to tell her later that the neighbour's had installed new CCTV camera's." Each of the poses and objects chosen for the shots were directly linked to the character's personality within the production.

The women now hope that the hype surrounding the performance and calendar's will have all the bare necessities to boost even more funds for the vital charity.

Claire continued: "Taking your clothes off in front of hundreds of people isn't easy but it was done tastefully and not in a salacious way.

"I think we definitely have got to know each other a lot better now that we've done something like this together.

"The good thing is that so many women come up to us and say how brave we were and how much we have inspired them.

"It's been a great success so who knows, we might end up making another one next year!" The calendar is still on sale at the Village Newsagent in Kilmacolm and all profits go to the Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research Society.