Page 312 - She's One Crazy Lady!

Financial Advisers) who, like Elsby’s offered their services pro-bono when Pension Schemes became law – and to Wilson Browne Solicitors (Kettering) who similarly advised us on various issues that required a legal ‘eye’.
How very special it was that all three Companies were to later, independently, organise fundraising events for us and joined forces at one point to organise a ‘Sisterhood’ Lunch at the Park Hotel in Kettering, where we were entertained by a very lively talk from Tricia Stewart – ‘Miss October’ – from the original ‘Calendar Girls’ Alternative WI Calendar. We were to meet up with Tricia again when we invited her to our £3m Celebratory Mad Hatter’s Tea Party at Wicksteed Park – where her story was heartily received with Tricia’s factual and humorous memories!
Over the years, Crazy Hats was to have many unique calendars – one of beautiful animal shots taken by Glyn Dobbs (ET Photographer); a ‘Walk’ calendar to celebrate the thousands of photos taken at our Walks and another created by Sue Collins from the Breast Screening Department at KGH – all raising a lot of money. However, we were to benefit hugely from a ‘risqué’ calendar when newly recruited Committee Members (Debbie, Amanda and Lucy, together with friends they made at our Coffee and Chat mornings, Nila, Jayne and Loraine) produced a ‘Dare to Bare’ calendar. All these ladies had gone through breast cancer together and wanted to create the calendar in memory of another close friend and Committee Member, ‘Katie’, who sadly, died. Their calendar, which raised £10,000, was split between Crazy Hats and Cransley Hospice where Katie had been treated. All the ladies had an amazing time in putting the calendar together as it took them to all kinds of places in the county – Silverstone, Towcester Races, The Saints Rugby Dressing Room(!) – to name but a few – wearing all kinds of attire! It necessitated a great deal of planning, hard work and time so their efforts were greatly appreciated and admired – as was their calendar!
Pauline, our Treasurer, having given so much time and energy to help us, had ‘retired’ prior to Marilyn coming on board but we were fortunate to have found ‘Jan Brown’ who we met at our 4th Sponsored walk in 2006. Jan was the very popular Postmistress at Wollaston Post Office – her husband, Vic, was the ‘Postie’ – and she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Jan had a great imagination and had entered a large team, all wearing hats with detailed, brown paper packages hanging from them – her team easily winning the category for
“All the ladies had an amazing time in putting the calendar together as it took them to all kinds of places in the county
– Silverstone, Towcester Races, The Saints Dressing Room – to name but a few – wearing all
kinds of attir”
e!
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