Express & Star

Cast of Calendar Girls plant special flowers at Birmingham’s Winterbourne House and Gardens

Birmingham’s Winterbourne House and Gardens welcomed the cast of Tim Firth and Gary Barlow’s Calendar Girls The Musical for a spot of gardening.

Published
The cast of Calender Girls pictured at Winterbourne House and Gardens in Birmingham. Picture by Simon Hadley.

Stars of the show, including Lesley Joseph and Lisa Maxwell, met with gardeners and custodians of the historic house to plant seven sunflowers in the garden, each labelled with the name of the cast member who planted it.

Sunflowers are a synonymous icon and symbol of the Calendar Girls story. Calendar Girls The Musical is inspired by the true story of a group of ladies, who decide to appear nude for a Women’s Institute calendar in order to raise funds to buy a settee for their local hospital, in memory of one of their husbands, and have to date raised almost £5million for Bloodwise.

The cast of Calender Girls pictured at Winterbourne House and Gardens in Birmingham. Picture by Simon Hadley.
The cast of Calender Girls pictured at Winterbourne House and Gardens in Birmingham. Picture by Simon Hadley.

This musical comedy shows life in their Yorkshire village, how it happened, the effect on husbands, sons and daughters, and how a group of ordinary ladies achieved something extraordinary.

Visiting the gardens were the cast who play the inspiring group of women on stage; Lesley Joseph as Jessie, Sarah Jane Buckleyas Annie, Sue Devaney as Cora, Julia Hills as Ruth, Judy Holt as Marie, Lisa Maxwell as Celia and Rebecca Storm as Chris.

The cast of Calender Girls pictured at Winterbourne House and Gardens in Birmingham. Picture by Simon Hadley.

Calendar Girls The Musical continues at Birmingham Hippodrome until Saturday, June 8.

For more information and to buy tickets, click here.