Welsh ‘Valley Girls’ and ‘Cheeky Boys’ bare all for cancer charities

Nation.Cymru Staff

Two groups of Welsh fundraisers are stripping back convention with cheeky charity calendars, raising money for cancer care and research.

In north Wales, businesses across the region participated in a tongue-in-cheek ‘naked calendar’, launched by a St David’s Hospice outpatient.

The local charity delivers specialist care to adult patients with advanced illnesses, as well as those in need of end-of-life care and their families, touching the lives of more than 1,000 people across Conwy, Gwynedd and Ynys Môn every year.

St David’s Hospice costs more than £5.2 million a year to run, with just 24% of its funding coming from the Welsh Government and local health board. The rest is largely raised through community fundraising, allowing the hospice to provide care free of charge.

Peter Davidson, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer in June 2022 and given just six months to live or up to two years with treatment, got the idea for the ‘Cheeky Boys’ calendar to raise vital funds for the hospice.

Reflecting on his journey and his time with St David’s Hospice, Peter said: “One of the first things the hospital did was introduce me through palliative care to St David’s Hospice, not just as a place to go and die but as a provider of all kinds of services to improve your journey getting there.

“I had physio and acupuncture to ease my pain, and more importantly my wife was offered counselling and emotional support if needed. The importance of this is quite often overlooked.”

As Peter approaches the end of his treatment options, he wanted to give back to cover the cost of his care and support the facility that will care for him in his final days.

Rather than simply making a single donation, Peter funded the printing costs himself to create the Cheeky Boys Calendar, ensuring that 100% of all proceeds go directly to the hospice.

“As I approach my final battle, I was looking to make a donation to the hospice, knowing that is most probably where I will end up, to cover the cost of my final stay,” Peter explained.

“I thought, how can we make my donation work to provide greater funds? Hence the Cheeky Boys Calendar, which I hope will put a smile on everyone’s face.

“Thank you to all the brave guys doing it to support St David’s Hospice, many of whom have had family or friends use these facilities.”

Twelve north Wales businesses took part in the calendar, including Llandudno Football Club, Denbigh Plant Services, Dragon Tiles and several local tradespeople.

The Cheeky Boys Calendar is available now for purchase at £9.95 online or in person at St David’s Hospice, Abbey Road, Llandudno and at St David’s Hospice charity shops.

Valley Calendar Girls

In south Wales, a group of women calling themselves the Valley Girls have also launched their own “fun and tasteful take on Calendar Girls”.

Raising money for Velindre Cancer Centre and Cancer Research UK, the Valley Girls calendar features Jayne Mason and her “lifelong friends… ordinary local women, a lot of laughter and a little bit of bravery!”

Jayne, from Ogmore Vale, was diagnosed with renal cancer in February 2023 and has since received the all-clear after undergoing treatment at Velindre, which provides specialist cancer services to over 1.5 million people across south Wales.

Sharing her gratitude and her hope “for a future where more people get the all-clear”, Jayne said every penny from calendar sales would go to the charities.

“We’ve laughed, we’ve probably shown more than we ever thought we would, and we’ve put our hearts into making this calendar,” she wrote on Facebook.

Jayne also thanked photographer Paris Perry, Andy Murrain of Murrains Café & Bar for providing the venue, and the local businesses that sponsored the project.

The Valley Girls’ 2027 calendar is available for £12.50 from the women involved and participating local businesses, including Holistic Heaven, Petals & Pies, Nantymoel Community Shop n Drop, Murrains and Venetia Steel Boutique.