'We've had so much fun': The new Calendar Girls -Yorkshire WI group turn to biking for Ladies in Leather calendar

Meet the new Calendar Girls – a Yorkshire WI group who have chosen motorbikes and biker outfits to attract younger members and raise funds for charity. Laura Reid reports.

Linda Oldridge isn’t expecting paparazzi on the doorstep. But then neither were the original Calendar Girls. Members of the Rylstone and District Women’s Institute thought the launch of their risque charity calendar would be a quiet and small affair back in 1999.

But they and their subtly nude pictures became an overnight sensation, with their story later captured on film, for a stage show and in a musical, and the women now having raised more than £6 million for blood cancer research.

It would be bold for anyone to try to follow in their footsteps, but another Yorkshire-based WI group has taken inspiration from their success. The Follifoot WI Ladies in Leather 2027 calendar has recently been launched in support of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, already raising more than £2,000 for the cause.

Linda, the 71-year-old behind the idea, is quietly pleased with its success. A Calendar Girls-esque climb to fame was never part of the plan, but she was thrilled to receive a call from one of the ladies who experienced that more than 25 years ago.

Angela Barker, whose late husband John’s battle with cancer inspired the Rylstone women’s fundraising efforts, rang to wish the Follitfoot WI Ladies well in their venture.

“It was amazing, I felt quite starstruck,” Linda says. “She was absolutely lovely, a lovely lady and really encouraging and helpful.

“She asked what our initial print run was and I said ‘250, what was yours?’ And she said ‘it was 2,000’...They were naked, which is obviously going to appeal to a wider audience - and we’re not…So clearly we’re managing our expectations.”

The calendar features 14 Follifoot WI women posing with motorcycles, wearing biker boots and leathers, against the backdrop of a number of village locations.

Showcasing their local area was part of the aim, but for Linda, it was predominantly about the need to try to attract younger members into the group.

“I’m in my 70s and probably half the membership if not a little more are certainly over 60, so it will ultimately literally and metaphorically die if we don’t introduce new younger members,” she says.

“I think people, despite the Rylstone success, still have in mind that the WI is still a bit jam and Jerusalem…Whilst it didn’t seem a natural fit, I thought that the idea of leather jackets and motorbikes might be more appealing to younger people.”

The idea grew from a discussion at a post-WI outing supper for a collaboration among members and Linda’s biker husband and his fellow motorcyclists.

“I’ve got to be honest, I fully expected that it would have died a death by the following morning” she chuckles. “I don’t really know how it happened, but everybody was really excited and enthusiastic about it, including all the bikers.”

With enough ladies wanting to feature in the calendar, and more wanting to help behind the scenes, the WI pushed ahead with the idea. Within two weeks, they’d generated enough money to pay for all the production costs, with local businesses responding to a social media post and offering to support financially.

WI members voted on a charity to support. Yorkshire Air Ambulance was chosen as the beneficiary, the charity having helped Linda’s brother after a near fatal motorbike accident three years ago.

“He fell off his motorbike which didn’t do him a great deal of damage but unfortunately slid down the road and was hit by an oncoming car which did do him a lot of damage,” she explains. “This was in the Dales. He’s actually now paraplegic. He’s in a wheelchair but the Yorkshire Air Ambulance came out to him and were it not for the charity, he probably wouldn’t be with us today because he was in quite a remote area when this happened. He’s got a different life now but he is alive.”

Nearly 100 copies of the calendar were sold on launch day, kickstarting the fundraising campaign. The group’s actions have also caused quite a stir locally, with villagers turning out to watch the photoshoots and attend the launch, and new interest being expressed in the WI.

“I think truthfully the reason it has taken off is because people are desperate for community again,” reflects Linda, who moved into Follitfoot ten years ago. “In the digital world and particularly post-covid, I think people are missing that sense of village solidarity for want of a better word, that community, people coming together to have a bit of fun.”

“And we’ve had so much fun,” she continues. “This has absolutely brought the community together in a fun, lighthearted way. And I think we’re all a little bit starved of that.”

The Ladies in Leather calendar is now on sale for £10.00 at Follifoot Village Stores or via email to [email protected] for £13.50.

See The Yorkshire Post Magazine for a My Yorkshire interview with Linda.