Hull Darts Calendar Girls 2008

YORKSHIRE LADY DARTERS BARE ALL FOR CHARITY

Darts players across the globe are renowned for their charitable work but have any lady darts players ever stripped to raise money for a good cause?

No? Well, they have now.

A team of daring lady darts players from across East Yorkshire have bared all to appear in a risqué calendar for 2008 and are hoping to raise thousands of pounds for a local charity.

The twelve players, all from East Yorkshire, posed naked, Calendar Girls-style, with darts, dartboard and other pub-related items to produce a calendar to raise money for the Dove House Hospice in east Hull. The calendar was recently launched at the Ideal Standard Club in County Road North, west Hull and the girls were on hand for a signing session at the Princes Quay Shopping Centre in the city centre in mid-November.

Co-organiser, Dave Taylor, author of the recent book on the history of Hull darts Make Mine a Double, told Darts World, “Businesses across Hull and the East Riding covered the costs by each sponsoring a month on the calendar. The girls loved taking part in the project for such a good cause. Dove House Hospice does a fantastic job. It offers specialist palliative care to adults with life-limiting illnesses and we would like to raise about £3,000 through the sale of the calendar."

‘Miss December’, Ruth Ward had a particular reason for taking part as her grandfather, Joe Snee, had leukaemia and died at Dove House in 1994, aged 80. County player Ruth, who also lost an aunt to cancer, said: "I was honoured to be asked and I wanted to do it for Dove House” adding, “If I was asked to do something like this again I would do it. I feel quite proud."

Kath Dees and her daughter Jenny Brown, both of east Hull posed for the month of June playing cards. Kath said, "It was a fantastic experience. I like doing charity work and I thought it was a good idea."

All of the women also collected sponsorship money for appearing in the calendar all of which went to Dove House.

Sarah Cusick, fundraising co-ordinator at the hospice, said: "The calendar is really fun and we are so pleased the organisers chose to support the hospice. The money helps us add life to days when days can't be added to life."

The excellent (and very tasteful) Hull Darts Calendar Girls 2008 calendar will make a super Christmas gift. It costs £6.99 and is available locally from Waterstone's in Jameson Street and Browns Bookshop in George Street, city centre, and the Ideal Standard Club.   It is also available to Darts World readers for £9.00 (including postage and packing) in the UK. Readers should contact Dave Taylor by e-mail at taylor@sohol.karoo.co.uk or by phone on 07742 716403 to place an order.

Special thanks to Jo Young - Photographer Dan Van Hesswyk

© Patrick Chaplin 2007