Hunks with a heart! London rugby stars strip off for charity calendar in a bid to raise funds for former teammate

Rugby club Ealing Trailfinders have launched a naked charity calendar
Hope to raise money to support Jack Fishwick who was injured in March
Mr Fishwick was left paralysed after being involved in a rugby accident
Teammate James Love, 27, says they wanted to support his rehabilitation
Mr Love, dubbed 'the Blonde Bombshell' by team mates, is Mr February

Published: 08:40, 13 November 2014 | Updated: 09:47, 13 November 2014

From Warwick University's rowers to Nigel Farage's mother, stripping off for naked charity calendar has become something of a British tradition.

Now rugby stars from Division One team Ealing Trailfinders have stripped off in a bid to raise money for the Jack Fishwick Discretionary Fund.

Like the now notorious Stade Francais calendar, the photos feature plenty of oiled abs and biceps, although unlike the French version, local footballers were not invited to join in.

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Helping out: Fullback James Love, dubbed 'the Blonde Bombshell', is among the players to appear

According to fullback James Love, 27, who has been dubbed 'the Blonde Bombshell' by his teammates, all the players were keen to get involved.

'The boys were all hoping to be involved and had their fingers crossed that they would get to be in the shoot,' he told MailOnline.

'In March, a good friend of the club and former player Jack Fishwick had a life changing injury on the field and is now quadriplegic.

'The boys decided to produce this calendar to raise money towards his rehabilitation and recovery, so it is a great cause.'

Happily for Mr Love and his fellow players, stripping off in front of one another proved trouble free and all appeared to enjoy the experience.

Ealing Trailfinders boys take their kit of for charity calendar

Racy: The calendar, which also features Alex Bradley (right), was done to raise funds for an injured teammate

Tough guy: Back Row muscleman Tom Brown demonstrates his weightlifting skills for January's photo

That's how you do it! One of the hunks is put through is paces by the creative director on the shoot

'Being rugby players, it's not unusual for the boys to be naked in front of each other,' he said. 'Being in front of the camera did separate the men from the boys though.

'Some of the boys milked it but others not so much. All in all, it was enjoyable day with lots of laughs, baby oil and some horrific blue steels.'

Proceeds from the calendar will go to support the ongoing care required by Mr Fishwick, who was injured in a rugby accident in March.

According to the club, Mr Fishwick, 27, who played for Ealing Trailfinders between 2010 and 2013, is fighting hard but has a long road to recovery ahead.

'So far the calendar has been received very well,' added a delighted Mr Love. 'The photos and the overall design are really professional and the lads are happy with how the shots came out.'

To get your hands on an Ealing Trailfinders charity calendar, visit ealingtrailfinders1stxv.com

Enjoying themselves: A pleased pair of make-up artists get close to one of the calendar stars

Good stuff: The photographer and some of the players take a look at the finished result

Wednesday, 11 September 2013

4 Sisters Were Photographed Every Year For 36 Years

28 AUG2013

It was in 1975 that Nicholas Nixon, a professor of photography at the Massachusetts College of Art, famous for his work in portraiture and documentary photography originally photographed his wife Bebe and her 3 sisters for the first time.

All were so impressed with the result, they agreed to line up once a year and make it an annual family event. In every photo, Nixon has the Brown sisters, who at the time were between the ages of 15 and 25, consistently pose in the same order, Heather on the left, followed by Mimi, Bebe and Laurie. The result being a series of 36 beautiful photographs, commemorating their life together. What is so striking about the photographs is the bond between the sisters. It’s clear that over the years haircuts, fashion and physical changes are noticeable, but despite this, the solidarity of the four sister’s is very clear. In each photograph, the sisters direct gaze allows the viewer to slowly see their changing appearance, and gives us a chance to take a guess at their thoughts. The really clever part of the collection, is the apparent shadow cast on the sisters in several images, creating a delicate distance in each, seemingly telling a story, either of a pregnancy, a marriage or other unknown experiences. Do you think you can tell which ones stand out?

The series has been shown at the Museum of Modern Art, Harvard University’s Fogg Art Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. You can find out more about the fascinating series of photographs titled ‘The Brown Sisters’ in his book Nicholas Nixon – The Brown Sister’s. Thirty Years.

Here are some examples of the Brown sisters, showing their hauntingly loving bond

1975