A CHEEKY calendar — produced by Tamar Valley WI — is selling like hot cakes and looks set to outstrip the more traditional fundraising sponges and jams, despite being given the cold shoulder by the group's county HQ.

Neither twinsets nor tweeds feature in this calendar, just group members in varying stages of undress accompanied by the odd strategically placed prop.

And it is proving pretty popular at Pillar's newsagents in Tavistock.

Staff member Steve Wickett said: 'They're going really well — we've had lots of sales today.'

But not everyone is tickled pink by the prospect of WI members baring their all (or nearly all) for local charities.

In a terse statement, Devon Federation of WIs wished to 'disclaim totally any suggestion of their participation in the forthcoming production of a 2001 calendar, which purports to be a WI Tamar Group undertaking.'

The statement continues: 'Although some of the ladies involved in this project happen to be members of the WI, it is something which they, and others, have undertaken individually.'

The Devon Federation refused to elaborate any further, and said the WI did not exist to provide newspapers with 'sensationalist' stories.

Sangeeta Haindl, press officer for the National Federation of WI's took a less chilly view. She said: 'The WI is a national charity and we are bound by charity law not to raise funds for other charities.'

She said each WI group was autonomous and people should make up their own minds on what they do for a good cause.

Tamar Valley member Sylvia Kirby, who appears in January and May, had the idea for the calendar.

She said: 'I don't think I've come across anybody that hasn't been very positive about it — most people are saying how brave we were to do it.

'It was done with the best intentions, we did it to make money for charity.'

A Pillar staff member drew quite a crowd as she stood in the window turning over pages of the calendar for onlookers on Saturday.

'We sold four straight away!' said Steve Wickett.

'I think it's wonderful — they're very brave to do it.'

The calendar should raise a healthy sum for two charities, Milton Abbot-based CHICKS (Country Holidays for Inner City Kids) and Derriford Hospital Kidney Unit.

The shoot was filmed by Redhot Productions, run by Judi Spiers and Martin Cairns, and will feature in a new show to be screened by Carlton TV.

The calendar girls will be appearing on screen Monday, October 2 at 2.40pm.