When choral group The Decibelles wanted to fundraise, they peeled off more than a few notes…
The final note was still hanging in the air when a voice piped up and said: ‘How about we go naked?’
For Joshua Daniel, musical director and the only bloke in the Decibelles choir, a nude calendar was a great way to raise some money for charity.
But his fellow singers — 30 women — looked at him like he was off his rocker.
After all, they were used to hitting the high notes together, not whipping their kit off.
‘Understandably,’ says Daniel, ‘a few them didn’t think they had the confidence to do a naked photoshoot. But as we talked about it, they began to come around and eventually all 30 of our members agreed.’
The Decibelles choir had formed four years earlier, singing in dozens of competitions and even winning a few.
They met once a week to rehearse and had become best friends, supporting each other through thick and thin.
Stripping off in front of each other, they’d be testing their friendships to the max.
But several of the singers had been through cancer, so when Joshua was suggested they raise funds for Breast Friends, a support group for people with breast cancer in Northampton, they were sold on the idea.
'We've all got lumps and bumps!'
The oldest singer Jan, 72, had been diagnosed with breast cancer 10 years earlier. It was only revealed by a mammogram because she didn’t have a lump or any other symptoms.
Thankfully, after radiotherapy and five years of medication, she went into remission.
But cancer support remained a cause close to her heart and those of many of the others.
As the day of the photoshoot approached, a few nerves surfaced. But with support and encouragement from each other, they all stuck to their word and showed up.
Photographer Kay was a great sport. And Joshua, 32, had promised to take part too.
‘I was wearing just an apron,’ he says. ‘I’d brought a French baguette to lighten the atmosphere, which caused some giggles.’
‘You can drop your dressing gowns now,’ Kay said.
The ladies looked at each other, then one said: ‘C’mon, we’ve all got lumps and bumps!’
So they all took the plunge.
Everyone stripped off and when they were completely starkers, they used choir books to cover their modesty.
The group made sure they had a shot for each month of the year.
For December, Joshua sat at the piano while strategically-held baubles and presents covered everyone’s key notes.
‘Getting into the swing of it, we started to feel quite liberated, and had a whale of a time too,’ Joshua says. ‘After one particular shot, one of our singers Gabby put the guitar she was holding on the floor, forgetting she was naked underneath.
‘The look of surprise on her face had us in stitches.’
The Decibelles were thrilled when they saw the final photos.
When the calendar was released, it became a hit all over the world, reaching as far as Australia and the USA, and raising £300 for the charity.
The group went on to scoop the top slot at the North Northamptonshire Music Festival.
‘We were on cloud nine,’ Joshua says. ‘I’m so proud of the group for getting stuck into the experience and putting their worries aside to raise money for such a great cause.
‘We’ve always been close, but now the bond between us is stronger than ever.’