FIRST the calendar, then the film - and now the book.

The Calendar Girls Story tells the true story of the women whose risqu calendar led them from Yorkshire to Hollywood - in their own words and illustrated with previously unseen photographs.

Five years ago they set out to raise money for the Leukaemia Research Fund by posing nude for an alternative Women's Institute calendar.

Their courage and chutzpah turned a local story into an international media phenomenon and inspired millions of women worldwide.

The Calendar Girls have since raised £1 million pounds but the media spotlight has changed their lives forever.

The film was based around the real-life characters of Tricia Stewart, who thought of the Pirelli-style calendar, and Angela Baker, whose husband died of cancer and in whose name they raised money for charity.

But the book, also in aid of charity, shows how the calendar's success and the women's subsequent fame was based on ties of friendship and family, supported by the close-knit Rylstone community that encompassed everyone from the pub's landlord to the postman.

It also introduces the honorary calendar girl - the photographer who found himself written out of the film.

The girls explain how it feels to suddenly be the subject of international media attention and how they have kept their heads despite the glamour. The book shows that, despite being whirled off to international premieres and meeting film stars in Hollywood, they remain true to their roots.

As Julie Walters remarks in her foreword to the book: "The story touches on the larger issues of life. It is about bereavement and friendship, about losing your sense of self and then being able to regain it. The women's experiences also show the importance of a strong community and how this can help the people in it - and that is something that a lot of places have lost in out modern society."

All royalties from the sale of this book are being donated to the Leukaemia Research Fund.

l The Calendar Girls story is published by Dalesman Books at £9.99 and should be available from most bookshops.