Arco girls bare all for charity

As temperatures drop to record lows and most of the population are digging out their thermals the employees of one safety company have actually been taking their clothes off to make their very own version of the 'Calendar Girls' calendar.

In total 60 brave ladies came forward to help make The Arco Calendar Girls calendar which is now on sale at Arco trade counters across the UK.

The calendar has been created in support of the Jo Martin Cancer Care Trust which supports organisations offering treatment and support to people suffering from cancer or a cancer-related illness.

Under the leadership of Arco's hr director, Sandra Bateson, the female employees from Arco branches across the country were invited to participate in the making of the calendar. The end result features 12 stunning colour photographs showing the Arco girls in a series of highly creative shots, making use of an array of props and safety products from Arco. From gloves to glasses, the girls reveal all in a tasteful celebration of the female form and had fun doing it too. The pages of the A3 calendar were generously supported by a number of key Arco suppliers and local businesses who provided sponsorship or donated time and skills to enable its creation.

The money raised from the sale of the calendars for the Yorkshire Scan Appeal will help Professor Lindsay Turnbull of the Hull Royal Infirmary MRI Centre and Hull/York Universities Medical Schools purchase a Magnetic Resonance guided Focused Ultrasound System (MRgFUS). This revolutionary piece of equipment will bring a new level of accuracy to the targeting and non-surgical treatment of early breast and other cancers. In addition to the donation to the Scan Appeal, the Trust is also supporting Macmillan Cancer Support, the North of England Oncology Association Annual Symposium and Dove House Hospice.

The Jo Martin Cancer Care Trust was established following the death of Jo Martin, Joint Managing Director of Arco, who died of breast cancer, aged 39 in February 2008. In memory of Jo and to raise money for cancer research, the staff at Arco got together in a fantastic team effort to produce a tasteful 2011 calendar that speaks volumes for the causes it represents.

"Jo would be absolutely thrilled to know of the support the Trust is giving to Professor Turnbull and her team in their research and development of MRI treatment for breast cancer from their base in Hull, and of the other great works of the Trust" said her parents Carolyn and Stephen Martin, who with Arco staff Mike Goodare and Adele Empson manage the Trust set up in Jo's name.

Arco's current Joint managing directors, Thomas Martin (Jo's cousin) and Nick Hildyard, were delighted with the effort that the girls put in saying, "The team have done a brilliant job putting this calendar together. It is a fantastic initiative to raise awareness of breast cancer and its treatment. The girls look great and we know that Jo would be proud of them."

Proceeds from the sales of the calendar will go directly to the Jo Martin Cancer Care Trust. The publication is dedicated to Jo Martin and all Arco staff and suppliers whose lives have been touched by the disease.