There was a new naked guy calendar on the block last year with the arrival of the Boys Of Bridgend. After the success of that first calendar, which raised cash for the Everyman Appeal, to help fight the battle against testicular and prostate cancer, the hotties are returning and to get the 2016 edition ready, they’re hoping to raise £500 on Crowdfunder.
This year’s calendar will raise fund for the Ben Cohen Standup Foundation, which was created by former international rugby star, Ben Cohen to raise awareness of the long-term, damaging effects of bullying and homophobia and to raise funds to support those doing real-world work to stop it from happening.
“We’re really excited about working with this charity,” says Boys of Bridgend creator and photographer, Russ Hughes. “We wanted to make the new calendar as interactive as possible and really get to know the people who have been supporting us and to find out their views and thoughts, so when we asked people on Twitter and Facebook for ideas about who they wanted to see us support this year there was one name that came up over and over again, and that’s the Ben Cohen Standup Foundation to tackle bullying and homophobia. It’s a cause that really resonates with both our supporters and members of the team and the work they are doing, especially within the LGBT community is amazing. Support for us last year was overwhelming from all corners but it was the LGBT community who really got behind us and made us grow, so it’s fantastic that we can come full circle with this years calendar and give our support back to them by raising money for this cause.”
And it seems that it is a cause that hits home on a personal level for members of the Boys Of Bridgend as well. New recruit, Dan, who is joining the Boys of Bridgend for the first time this year, was full of praise for the cause. “We didn’t have anything in place like this when I was younger. I was teased for being ‘different’ and became isolated because I was scared of not being accepted. It was easier to keep quiet, but it didn’t make me happier. Youngsters are too often told to fit the norm and not to stand out or be different, so it’s great that organisations like the Standup Foundation are working so hard to tell youngsters that it’s ok to be different and that they don’t have to hide or feel scared or ashamed, and hopefully it will educate the tormentors into realising that we’re all the same, despite our differences. We should all strive for equality. Knowing that this years Boys of Bridgend calendar will have a hand in that meant that signing up to take part was a no-brainer for me.”
For now, the identity of the 15 men participating in this years calendar is being kept firmly under wraps, but if you want to help get the calendar made so that you can find out who the naked boys will be, check out the Crowdfunder page.
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