Warwick rowers make waves with annual calendar

Warwick Rowers have launched their ninth men’s calendar, featuring members of the club posing nude with the theme for this year of ‘being the best version of yourself starts with being yourself’, to raise money for charity.

The first calendar was released in 2009, with nature at the forefront of the photographs this time, with the students posing with picturesque backgrounds from their time in Spain and gardens in England.

Off the back of their initial success, the Warwick Rowers formed Sport Allies, which was accepted as a registered UK charity this year, a cause they continue to raise money for year after year. The club describe the charity in their own words as: “serving to promote sport as an inclusive and supportive route to personal growth for everyone as well as striving for general inclusivity, with a specific focus on gender and non-heteronormative sexualities.”

Not only do the calendars express a positive message to young people about body-image and confidence, Sports Allies has close connections with Warwick SU’s ‘Reshaping Sport’ scheme that has been rolled out this year to campaign: “to make sport as diverse, inclusive and accessible as possible for people of all abilities and identities.”

Warwick Rowers formed Sport Allies, which was accepted as a registered UK charity this year

The Men’s Calendar Representative for the 2017/18 academic year, Jacob Jones, explained that his involvement was first encouraged by old teammates; it is through this participation he realised the “positive and enriching experience team sport had been to me and I wanted everyone to feel they have the opportunity to participate, regardless of sexuality or gender.”

The calendars produced by both the men and women of the club have reached people globally, selling on huge market platforms such as Amazon, and being commented on by national news outlets.

This year, the Calendar Representatives are expanding the project further off the back of their success in previous years, by offering digital backgrounds, a film documenting their journey to this years’ finished product, and even signed copies of the nude snaps, to raise as much money as possible.

The Rowers have managed to stay humble and keep their cause in mind; when asked how they dealt with the fame of having their photographs all over social media and their charitable efforts being constantly commended, they commented that: “it’s pretty insane knowing how much of an outreach we have”.