FIVE years ago the women of the Rylstone and District WI set out to raise money for leukaemia research by posing nude for an alternative Women's Institute calendar.

Their sheer chutzpah turned what should have been a local story into an international media phenomenon - and sparked a Hollywood film starring the cream of British luvviedom.

Along the way 'the Girls' raised £1m for leukaemia research. But the media spotlight also changed their lives forever.

The film was based around the real-life characters of Tricia Stewart, whose idea the calendar was, and Angela Baker, whose husband John died of cancer and in whose name they raised money for charity.

Based on interviews with the people involved, The Calendar Girls Story tells the truth behind the film.

It follows the making of the calendar itself, the filming of Calendar Girls the movie, and how the international spotlight affected the lives of people in the close-knit North Yorkshire community. Packed with stills from the film, location shots and the calendar girls' own pictures, this is the naked truth behind the media phenomenon.Royalties from sales of the book go to the Leukaemia Research Fund.

Updated: 11:00 Wednesday, July 14, 2004