FORGET jam, Jerusalem, twinsets and pearls. The ladies of the Tamar Valley WI have cast aside such cliched straitjackets — and much more — to go tastefully au naturelle for the sake of fun and their favourite charities, writes Roger Malone.

A glossy calendar shows them bearing their almost all — and, in some cases, their all — to help raise funds for Country Holidays for Inner City Kids (CHICKS) and Friends of Derriford Hospital Kidney Unit.

The idea came from bubbly Sylvia Vanstone. She thought it would be an entertaining alternative to the more serious Yorkshire WI nude calendar which grabbed national headlines and raised a fortune.

'We wanted to show that WI ladies did fun things and were not fuddy-duddies,' she said.

The photographic shoots were filmed by a camera crew from Redhot Productions — which is run by Judi Spiers and Martin Cairns. The calendar girls will feature in the first of a new Judi Spiers series and will be shown on Carlton TV on Monday, October 2 at 2.40pm.

'I rode around on a horse naked for two hours while they waited for the right light— I can thoroughly recommend it!' laughs Sylvia.

'I have galloped before but not totally naked. There was a feeling of freedom. It was a nice sunny day and I forgot about the film crew.'

That was for January. Sylvia crops up again in May shearing sheep.

'I had to shear three before the photographer got it right. The first sheep had horns which was a bit nasty.'

Sylvia, 46, and a teacher at Plymouth College of Further Education, admits to being a bit of an extrovert.

'I enjoy being the prim teacher and then when people say what did I do at the weekend I say I just rode a horse naked while being photographed!' she said.

'It was a jolly good laugh. Now we all have to be sensible again . . .'

Ann Woodland, 45, shares September with her friend and neighbour Lesley Weldan. Both clad in hiking boots, scaves, woolly hats and napsacks they strike up hill with a staff, a few goose pimples — and nothing else.

'It was a hoot. We wanted to do something a bit whacky and off the wall to raise money,' said Ann.

'The photographer was brilliant and very sensitive to the fact we were not professional models. There were lots of pictures taken. No doubt we looked self-conscious in some but they only picked out the best.'

She said there are some people who don't expect the WI to do this sort of thing.

'We do the traditional stuffl. But we also do fund-raising. We are not in that twinset and pearls time-zone anymore. And anyway that was always a cliched image.'

Older members of the WI have joined in the photo fun and Ann says that is delightful.

'Older women's bodies are also beautiful. It isn't just youngsters who have beautiful bodies. The oldies are worthy of being photographed as well. We don't worry about age.'

A total of 5,000 copies are printed and the WI has to sell 1,200 to cover their costs. Everything else is pure profit for the charities.

Sylvia says they plan to have a publicity day at the Bedford Hotel, Tavistock, next week.

'We will sign autographed copies. I anticiapate everyone will be fully clothed — but I'm not sure!'