"It all started when unfortunately a friend lost his mum to cancer, she was cared for by Marie Curie Nurses in her home during her final days and was able to die at home as she wished.

It made me evaluate the rural setting we live in and how Marie Curie Cancer Care can be a godsend to so many local families, then I started researching the cost of the service and was shocked at how little the charity is funded by the government and that they rely on 60% of their expenditure coming from donations.

I felt compelled to help, I spoke with a few friends and family who all agreed they wanted to help, and the committee was formed.

We decided we would hold a huge summer event called 'Hwyl Twp' in Penybontfawr comprising of an It's A Knockout competition and Summer Fete, although the cost of hiring professionals and equipment began to mount up.

We began searching for a corporate sponsor and held a Promise Auction to raise funds for 'Hwyl Twp' and Marie Curie. We were very lucky to be surrounded by so many generous businesses and individuals who donated some amazing promises.

We raised £4,000 at the Promise Auction and not long after this great success we were over the moon to hear that Andrew Pickstock offered to be the Corporate Sponsor and donated £1,250 to ensure that 'Hwyl Twp' went ahead.

We began the huge task of organising 'Hwyl Twp' and I worried constantly about everything that could go wrong - the event was costing nearly £4,500 to hold and after having such dreadful weather during the weeks leading up to it, I was positive nobody would turn up. I needn't have worried!

On Sunday 26 August I woke up to the sun blaring and the promise of an amazing day, the event turned out to be so much more successful than any of us could have imagined, with more than 250 people coming along to watch the It's A Knockout Competition and 90 local people taking part. I was humbled by the support that we received.

We made £1,500 on the day leaving us with a balance of just over £3,000 after further donations and raffles held.

We decided this just wasn't enough and therefore came up with our final fundraising stint!

We have created the first ever Nude Calendar in the Tanat Valley - The Bare It All (Almost!) Calendar was officially launched on Thursday 22 November 2007 in the Railway Inn in Penybontfawr, and went on general sale from Friday 23 November onwards.

The calendars are made up of tasteful nude photos of brave volunteers from local businesses and sports clubs.

We are now aiming to give £6,000 to Marie Curie Cancer Care after selling all the calendars, and this would not have been possible had not been for the generosity and support we have received from so many people - Finally I would just like to say a huge thank you to all those who have helped us achieve a very successful year of fundraising for such a worthy cause."

Article by Kim Cleminson