A GRANDMOTHER who put together a nude calendar to raise cash for cancer charities has hit back at rumours that the money has gone missing.
Last autumn Andrea Warden, 48, and her friends from Roxwell, decided to bare all in a print run of 2,000 calendars to raise money for three cancer charities close to their hearts.
But now Mrs Warden, whose father is terminally ill with cancer, is being forced to fend off accusations of theft after rumours spread through her village that the fundraising money has gone.
"It's very upsetting and for this to come at the same time as I address my own family needs is very sad," said Andrea, whose team of calendar girls have now collected £5,000 from the various vendors who have been selling the calendar.
"I'm spending so much time with my father and right now, I don't know if I'll wake up and he'll still be here," said the part-time horse keeper and mother-of-two.
"My friends know exactly what's going on with the money and these people who are spreading this rumour didn't help with the calendar in any shape or form. It took months to put it together.
"It's nobody's business to make such accusations. I don't need to run off with thousands of pounds. I don't need this."
After the formulation of the calendar, locals from across the village sponsored a page and on its launch night at the Chequers pub it sold more than 100 calendars at £5.99 each.
After attracting interest on Facebook from as far as Australia and South Africa, the team's members have raised about £1,400 each for their chosen charities – Farleigh Hospice, Cancer Research UK and Macmillan.
"Living in such a small village there is always lots of rumours, be it swingers in the village or that so and so is having an affair with so and so. It's no shock to me.
"I even had one person swearing at me, telling me I'm a thief."
Mrs Warden and friend Julia Wells, whose dad and husband were both diagnosed with cancer on the same day in February, decided to create a bucket list on a whim last year, when the All For The Love Of Life calendar idea was born.
Julia's husband Mark died of cancer last year.
Mother-of-three Julia, 46, of Swiss Avenue, said: "Yes it's a bit slow putting the money on the site but everything is above board.
"We chose to raise money for Farleigh Hospice because they were so supportive to Mark and they have been so supportive of me and the children and all the projects that they do are superb.
"To then hear people are sprouting rumours – it does make you wonder why you bother."
Last week, an anonymous caller told the Chronicle: "There is so much gossip in the village.
"Lots of people gave something like £500 but it was revealed it was actually free of charge to print the calendar."
Yet, after speaking to the calendar organisers, they said they did not receive any such discount at Chelmsford-based Print Tech.
Farleigh Hospice spokeswoman Cheryl Bunkle said: "We received a phone call a couple of weeks ago from someone saying they were worrying about the money going missing.
"Yet to date we have had £775, which is great – we know the ladies are even giving the calendars to Farleigh shops which means the money comes straight to us and for that we're extremely grateful.
"As far as we are concerned, there is no substance to these rumours. I've done my job for six years now and I can't remember ever taking a call like this before."
