THE inspiration behind the film 'Calendar Girls' has received and MBE.
Angela Knowles, 74, from Skipton, is the honorary president and a fundraiser for charity Bloodwise, and has been awarded her MBE for services to blood cancer research.
Following the tragic death of her husband from non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 1998, she and her friends decided to do something different to raise awareness and funds for those affected by blood cancer.
They set about creating their infamous Alternative Women's Institute Calendar to raise money for the local hospital and for blood cancer research. That first calendar sold 56,000 copies and so began the global phenomenon of The Calendar Girls.
All monies raised from the sale of the calendar were donated to Bloodwise and the film alone grossed nearly $100m and inspired the stage play. She donated everything for the benefit of others, including donating all of the rights of her story to Bloodwise. To date, £5m has been raised for Bloodwise.
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