PICTURES: Cairngorm calen-deer boys and girls dare to bare for charity
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Cairngorm Reindeer Centre staff have been hanging out in the surrounding peaks to help rake in funds for the local mountain rescue team.
Seventeen herders at the Glenmore-based attraction posed in the buff with the reindeer and strategically placed antlers – and other assorted items – hiding their modesty.
The naked 2023 calendar shot by Joe Mann also celebrates the 70th anniversary since the reindeer herd was introduced to the Cairngorms. Fifty per cent of the money from sales will go to the Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team (CMRT) .
Cover girl Fiona told the Strathy: “We’d chatted about doing a naked calendar for a few years now but nothing had ever come of it.
“So, last January it was time to show our true colours and not just talk about it any more. I could hardly be part of instigating it and not take part myself so I gritted my teeth and Lotti and I opted for a snowy January on skis.
“It was a very cold and snowy day. I’m so proud of everyone involved. I hope they are pleased with their photographs.
"We aren’t models – just real people having a bit of fun and not taking life too seriously.
"Well done to the team – I think it’s great.”
Her calender co-model Lotti said: “I think I must have forgotten how freezing it is getting your kit off in the Scottish winter for long enough to get a photo with everyone looking at the camera.
"Otherwise, I’m not sure I’d have agreed to be part of the cover photo too a year later.
“I am fairly used to the cold being a keen all-weather swimmer but I remember thinking to myself while in the loch the same day that, for the first time, swimming in freezing cold water with snow falling was nowhere near the coldest thing that I have done.”
Mr February Ben B said: “Reindeer can survive in some of the coldest environments on Planet Earth. Well, I don’t think I could. After one hour rambling about in the snow, on an especially mild February day, I needed my wellies on for fear of frostbite.
“Luckily, no part of my body succumbed to that fate. In fact, completing the naked photo shoot felt very liberating and I now feel empowered to perhaps join the local nudist group… I might go if I’ve got nothing on!”
Fellow herder Ben H said: “I’d been working at the Reindeer Centre for just over a month when I was asked to do this. I’ve known Joe, the man behind the camera, for over 10 years so when he asked me to get involved it was hard to say no.
“He’s a brilliant photographer and put in a lot of time getting these fantastic nudes of everyone for no financial reward. I hope the exposure is worth it for him.
“A couple of my favourite reindeer, Dr Seuss and Frost, joined me in my birthday month in my birthday suit.”
CMRT deputy team leader Willie Anderson said they were delighted to be chosen to benefit from half of the proceeds.
He said: "It would appear the herders all had a great time making it; the winter months took some courage no doubt!
"Our local reindeer herd are very comfortable in the worst winter conditions the country gets, and thanks to donations such as this calendar will bring, the CMRT members will be better equipped to cope with the same conditions.
"It is a great idea for raising funds for us and to help support the reindeer herd, and for the rescue team it is a perfect local match.
"In this electronic age it is still nice to have some traditions such as a wall printed calendar.
"Those who said that the days of the wall calendar were numbered are about to be proven wrong – hopefully sales of this one will go viral!"
The calendars can be bought in the reindeer centre shop; calling on 01479 861228 or ordered online here
A true professional... Joe even snapped his girlfriend's mother for calender!
Photographer Joe Mann said that celebrating the Cairngorm reindeer herd’s 70th year anniversary was a good excuse to finally make the calendar after years of joking about it.
He said: "All we needed was enough people willing to get involved and something other than a mobile phone to take the photos.
"With the arrival of my new camera there was no longer an excuse and it was time to put our money where our mouth was and start taking our clothes off for fun and a good cause.
He said in all it took 18 months to get the calendar finished.
Mr Mann explained: "We’ve tried to take every picture in the month that it was intended for, showing the reindeer at all the different times of year, from when they look their best during the autumn and early winter months to moulting their winter coats and growing new antlers in the spring.
"Whether people got naked in the cold depths of winter or the warmer summer months, it goes without saying that everyone did an amazing job.
"Some were more nervous than others beforehand but when it came down to it, I think everyone enjoyed themselves and maybe even found it exhilarating!
"Being the designated photographer for this project, I maybe didn’t quite know what I was letting myself in for.
"Taking pictures of my naked friends and colleagues – not to mention my girlfriend’s mum – was certainly a surreal experience, but I can safely say I can’t imagine doing this with a better bunch of people.
"It seems only fitting to raise money when doing a calendar such as this and I can’t think of a better cause than our local mountain rescue team."
For every calendar sold, half of the profits will go to helping the volunteers who selflessly give their own time to help others in need in the mountains.
For more information about the invaluable work of the CMRT visit their website www.cmrt.org.uk
