The bare faced cheek of it! - Swanage Railway's Alternative Calendar 2003

Press Release from Andrew P.M. Wright - dated 30th Aug 2002
Official photographer & press officer, Swanage Railway.
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Volunteers on the Swanage steam railway have produced a fund-raising calendar with a difference - in the style of saucy seaside postcards from yesteryear.

A sort of steamy version of Carry on Swanage Railway, the light-hearted and tongue in cheek glossy A4 2003 production features volunteers on the award-winning steam railway, a registered charity, as no one has seen them before.

It is hoped that the new alternative calendar - professionally produced and printed - will raise some £10,000 to help pay for bringing about a public train service between and the national rail network at Wareham.

The saucy calendar costing £5.99 featuring some of the people that make the Purbeck Line's steam trains run on time is the idea of Andrea Catt, 41, who lives in Rabling Road, Swanage, and works for a leading marketing company in Bournemouth.

"The calendar being in the style of saucy seaside postcards from yesteryear is apt because Swanage station is within 200 yards of the sea.

"The calendar is full of schoolboy jokes, toilet humour, double entendre and innuendo - not necessarily in the best possible taste but a lot of fun, both for us in making it, and, we hope, for the people buying it," added Andrea.

Already, the steam railway has received calendar orders from a man in New Zealand and also a soldier in Buffalo in the United States of America. And within two days of the first media adverts appearing, more than 100 orders for the calendar were received.

"We wanted to draw in funds from outside our own membership and decided to produce our own calendar. We were inspired by the ladies of the Rhylstone Women's Institute in Yorkshire who raised £500,000 for leukaemia research with their naked calendar," explained Andrea, the Swanage Railway's volunteer fundraising officer.

"Although it's probably warmer in Swanage than in Yorkshire, we decided against disrobing and instead went for the saucy seaside postcards often seen in Swanage during the 1950s as our inspiration.

"We've been fighting off volunteers wanting to appear in the calendar. The problem has been the logistics because some of them live in other parts of the country. Also, there are not enough months in the year and we may have to do it again next year.

"For many years, the Swanage Railway has produced a very attractive traditional calendar and this will still be available on an on-going basis. However, I hope that by taking a fresh and very tongue-in-cheek look at our railway - and the stalwart team who keep it going - we might raise a good chunk of capital and attract additional visitors and volunteers.

"In my opinion, laughter has been key to the success of the whole Swanage Railway project and our calendar shows just how much of a sense of humour our staff and volunteers have," added Andrea.

Andrea has been overwhelmed by the support she has received from traders in Swanage - many of whom have agreed to stock the calendars to support the steam railway which has been re-built from nothing since 1976.

"They really want to help establish the main line rail connection and bring about an amenity service from Wareham because of the additional tourism it will bring to the town," she explained.

"Although grant funding may be available, we anticipate needing to find a pretty sizeable proportion of the costs ourselves, in addition to our ongoing commitment to the refurbishment of our heritage stock," added Andrea, a Swanage Railway volunteer for six years.

A range of posters has also been produced promoting the new calendar which is being distributed among retailers.