A GROUP of Women's Institute members who bared all for a charity calendar four years ago and became international stars, have stripped off again - weeks before the launch of a star-studded movie telling their story.

With tactfully positioned household items once again covering their modesty, the six women from Rylstone and District WI, near Skipton, North Yorkshire, have posed in various positions for a 2004 calendar.

And to mark the forthcoming release of Calendar Girls - a £7m movie about the women - six of the film's stars, including Julie Walters and Helen Mirren, have also shed their clothes and inhibitions for the new edition.

Yesterday, the WI women had a traditional British afternoon tea at the Devonshire Fell Hotel, Burnsall, near Skipton, to mark its launch.

Tricia Stewart, 54, who poses as Miss August chopping courgettes in the new calendar, is positive it will be a success.

She said: "The past few years have been unbelievable - we never expected our calendar to generate this much interest.

"I'm sure this one will sell even better than the last, and most importantly raise a lot of money for charity."

The 1999 calendar was a huge success, selling more than 300,000 copies worldwide and raising more than £600,000 for the Leukaemia Research Fund.

It was the death of John Baker, husband of WI member and calendar model Angela, to leukaemia in 1999 that prompted the women to strip off.

Local newspaper stories turned into an international media phenomenon, inspiring writers, directors and producers to put it on the big screen.

In May, Calendar Girls took the Cannes Film Festival by storm and the women are now waiting with baited breath for the movie's release over here, on Friday, September 5.

While calendar ladies Beryl Bamforth, 69, Lynda Logan, 60, Christine Clancy, 51, Angela Baker, 57, Ros Fawcett, 54, and Mrs Stewart enjoyed being in the spotlight again at yesterday's launch, the other models from the original calendar were missing.

"They decided to retire from this and that was their choice," said Mrs Stewart.

"I don't think they believed for one minute the calendar would be this successful. I couldn't tell you how they'll be feeling today."