THEY have downed tools – and pretty much everything else – in memory of a much-loved friend.
Twelve regulars from the Croft Tavern in Hythe are baring all for a daring calendar after their drinking pal Brian Pester lost his battle with cancer.
The punters – turned calendar boys – wanted to find a way to help Oakhaven Hospice in Lymington where Brian, pictured inset, who was 67, spent his last two weeks.
With this in mind the builders, scaffolders, plasterers and chippies shed their work clothes for a revealing photo shoot.
Pub landlord and calendar organiser Jeff Hatton – aka Mr May – said: “None of us are male models, but at the end of the day it was about having some fun and remembering our friend.
“Brian was a special character – probably our favourite ever regular. He would certainly have had a laugh about it all.”
Jeff revealed how a joke suggestion in the bar quickly turned in to reality.
He said: “Everyone who’s seen it has thoroughly enjoyed looking through it. We’ve had a great response throughout. We’ve already decided that the women are doing one next year!”
Mike Denny, head of fundraising at Oakhaven Hospice, said: “I think the first thing to do is to thank them for their generosity and for thinking of us and doing this in memory of their friend. I think they are extraordinarily brave in this cold weather.”
l The 2009 calendars, which cost £6, can be bought from the pub in Langdown Lawn, Hythe.
