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Taunton ladies bare all to help farmers
A small team of ladies working in Taunton, together with some of their generous customers, have helped to raise £1,500 for farmers who are facing a crisis.
The team comprises the staff of dairy genetics company, Dairy Daughters and their feat was to model - some of them scantily clad - for a 2008 company calendar.
The calendar was given to customers free of charge, but recipients were asked to make a donation.
The total raised was this week donated to Farm Crisis Network, a charity which was founded in the south west, but which now operates throughout the UK, and specialises in supporting farming people and families as they seek to resolve their problems.
"There's a whole raft of issues we are likely to be involved with," says Helen Bagwell, the charity's deputy national coordinator.
"These have recently largely been connected with livestock disease outbreaks and movement restrictions, but often also include low prices for farm produce, the burden of regulation, health, depression, bereavement and family breakdown."
Today the charity - which was founded in 1995 and relies heavily on donations and its network of over 250 volunteers - assists over 3,000 farming people every year.
Its work reached a peak last autumn after a prolonged period of low farm incomes, the additional strain of severe flooding and outbreaks of foot and mouth disease, bluetongue and avian flu.
"We handled five times more calls than usual, and have been helping over 400 farming families in some months," says Mrs Bagwell, who explains that the support the charity offers is largely practical and pastoral, although could include helping to find financial assistance.
"We chose this charity because we are aware of the isolation felt by so many farmers," says Evans Drayton, managing director of Dairy Daughters, whose staff each speak to dozens of farmers every day.
"We believed that much of the charity's work went on quietly and without recognition and we wanted to play a small part in bringing its support and care to a few more farming families."
"We think it's particularly appropriate that the calendar features our team of female staff," adds Alison Lovell, sales and marketing manager, who personally modelled as November'.
"Because we operate in a different way from our competitors in that we contact our farmers by phone, they can finally put a face to the voice which we have found strengthens our relationships. Some of our farmers have even told us that they keep their girl' up on the wall no matter what month it is!"
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