A dozen women have gone “au naturel” to raise funds for a major renovation of a Norfolk church. 

A calendar has been produced called The Ladies of Toft Monks - Uncovered 2025. 

It throws fresh light on the women from the village near Beccles such as church warden, Julianne McCarthy, behind the wheel of a vintage car with a strategically placed wing mirror. 

It also shows another woman draped in Christmas lights.

The group are raising money to convert one end of the St Margarets Church in Toft Monks into a community hub.

While the members take part in coffee mornings, raffles, concerts and a festival at Christmas, it was felt that something new was needed to boost funds.

Ms McCarthy said: “We wanted to do something different - something that would grab people’s attention.

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"We are increasingly having to look for alternative ways to keep our churches open - open for worship whilst combining the building with a more practical purpose."

The community hub would include a kitchen area with space for removable tables and chairs.

Ms McCarthy said: “We don’t have a village hall and a space such as this will be invaluable for meetings, classes, exhibitions and so on.

“It took a lot for some of the women to do this, it’s not something that they were used to doing.

“But the results are fantastic.”

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For each month, Ms McCarthy said: “The pictures all feature the women doing something that they are known for in the village.

“So I am pictured driving one of my husband’s old cars, which are often seen around the village.”

“We’d love to raise as much money as possible - we need hundreds of thousands - but my goal is £500 from the calendars”

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The photographers were Hanya Chlala and Mik Horn and the project is sponsored by Capps-Jenner Electrical Contractors.

The calendars are available to buy at £10 each and are on sale at Toft Monks garage, at coffee mornings and various functions around the village.

Or, you can email Juliannemccarthy@icloud.com.