Hexham Abbey Film Club – Calendar Girls

Calendar Girls is a British comedy‑drama inspired by the true story of a group of middle‑aged Yorkshire Women’s Institute members who decide to create an unconventional fundraising calendar. After Annie’s husband dies of leukaemia, her best friend Chris proposes raising money for a new hospital sofa by producing a calendar featuring WI members—tastefully posed nude while doing traditional activities like baking and knitting.

Despite initial scepticism within their local WI chapter, the women come together, enlist an amateur photographer, and bravely embrace the project. Their cheeky yet heartfelt calendar becomes an unexpected national sensation, bringing fame, humour, personal challenges, and a renewed sense of friendship and purpose to the group.

Starring Helen Mirren and Julie Walters, the film is known for its warmth, wit, and uplifting portrayal of community spirit and women supporting each other through grief, change, and adventure.