When I was in my final year at university a suggestion was put forward to do a calendar for charity. It was around the time of the infamous WI calendar depicting artful shots of WI ladies in various states of undress. Somewhat predictably and probably after a couple of brainstorming sessions in the student union, it was decided that we should do the same. The result was certainly a lot less artful and probably bought a tear to the eye for all the wrong reasons… I and a couple of others were given the honour of the December page so that anyone misfortunate enough to have purchased a calendar would be able to enjoy the “fruits” of our labour throughout the festive period. My Mum was one lucky recipient and hung it on the kitchen wall - I can remember that it was certainly the topic of a few conversations during the Christmas break. While I am pleased to say that the calendar turned out not to be a turkey but was actually rather successful, I still look back on it with a fair bit of regret / remorse / down right shame! So much so, that I have vowed to destroy any copy that I should stumble upon forever more. There will probably be a point where the Royal Veterinary College final year calendar of 2002 will achieve a value through rarity alone…
With these emotional scars, you can imagine that I was less than enthusiastic when Rebecca, our Head Receptionist, suggested that we do a “Hawthorn” calendar for 2018. I pointed out that a lot of water has gone under the bridge since 2002, not to mention a few inches around the waist have accumulated! I was very relieved (as I am sure anyone reading this article will be) to hear that the subjects of the proposed calendar were in fact animal and not human.
For the past few years we have run a photo competition on our practice facebook page. It’s simple – submit a picture of your moggy or pooch to us and everyone votes on their favourite. Whether you like facebook or not, it is a bit of fun and the winning dog and cat get the honour of their picture being on our vaccine reminders for the following year plus a free booster vaccination. This year we had a fantastic response with nearly 200 photos being submitted and some fabulous entries. Rather than condemn them to archives of facebook for all time, we thought it would be great to produce a calendar showcasing them. The calendar features the top 6 dogs and cats by vote in the competition as well as ALL the entrants on the covers – everyone is represented! You can see a preview of the calendar here....
The proceeds of the calendar are going to two very worthwhile local animal charities with which the practice has relations – The Retired Greyhound Trust and Paws and Claws. So, if you would like to support the charities or would like a nice animal calendar for 2018, then you can pick one up at either of our surgeries for £6 or order via phone or email and we can post them out (cost of postage is in addition). We hope you like the calendar and we’re pretty sure no-one will regret being in it 15 years later!
