The Royal Marines Wives and Girlfriends Calendar for 2012 is now available to buy for just £8.99 from www.rmwagscalendar.co.uk!

It’s been a long journey to get to this stage but creators Becci and Lois could not be happier with the result.

Having met while their partners were deployed in Afghanistan with the Royal Marines the girls quickly formed a bond, supporting each other through the difficult time that is a six-month tour. In May 2011 they decided that they wanted to find a project to firstly distract them and secondly raise money for the very worthy Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund (RMCTF). Having seen other calendars produced by Forces families they set about seeking out the wives and girlfriends of soldiers currently serving in the Royal Marines.

The response they got was quite simply astounding. Setting up a page on Facebook they were inundated with over 50 entries over a two-month period; “all of the girls who entered were gorgeous, it was a very difficult task picking a final twelve,” says Becci. “The selection process wasn’t based just on looks but took into account their stories and their other halves.” Twelve women were chosen from across the country with partners serving at all of the major Marine bases in the UK, there is a selection of girlfriends, fiancés and wives many of whom also have young children.

The overwhelming response from the companies and individuals who have sponsored the production costs of the calendar has been beyond belief. Companies were offered the opportunity to sponsor a month of the calendar for a minimum of £150, having this financial input meant that the girls would be able to pay for the cost of printing the first 1000 calendars and start making money for the charity straight away. Lois says: “We simply couldn’t have done it without the support of our wonderful sponsors, having this money behind the calendar means that we’ll start making money for the RMCTF from our very first sale!”

The calendar was shot by the hugely talented Nicola Grimshaw-Mitchell of My Boudoir photography at her Manchester-based studio in July 2011, together with hair by Love the Salon of Cheltenham and make-up artist Michelle Sisson, she took all of the photographs in one day. The girls can be seen wearing beautiful underwear, all of which was donated to the calendar by Boux Avenue, Playful Promises and Joyce Brooks Lingerie; the combination of such beautiful pieces and great hair and make up gives the photographs their professional edge.

Designed by Aqua Design Group, the calendar is now available to buy from the official website as well as in-store via several of the sponsors. Sponsor Combat Casual Tees (www.combatcasualtees.com) have very kindly designed the official tshirt to support the calendar, all profits from which will also go to the RMCTF.