INTERVIEW | THE WARWICK ROWERS
You know (and love) them for getting their kit off, but there’s more to those Warwick Rowing lads than meets the eye. In 2012 they joined the fight against homophobia through their charity Sport Allies, a program designed to help to young people challenged by bullying and low self-esteem. Their 2016 calendar has just launched and we can’t get enough! WORDS | Kieran Clarke IMAGE | Angus Malcolm
Whose idea was it to start the calendar, and
What was it like shooting the calendar?
When the calendar started out, the boys at
what prompted the idea?
I knew from the last shoot that any initial
the time could never have imagined that
The calendar started six years ago and it was
awkwardness would quickly be avoided
it would grow into what it has become, so
the idea of Angus, our photographer, and
by the unbelievable amount of fun we had
to be honest there was no intention for the
Chris, who was President of the Rowing
on set. Without wanting to give away too
calendar to do anything other than perhaps
club at the time.
many of our 2016 surprises, there was one
raise a couple of hundred quid towards the
shot where I got to sit in the sun and drink
clubs running costs.
The pair are friends, and Chris had been talking about how the club was struggling
Champagne, it’s a hard life but someone has
to support itself financially and things were
to do it!
starting to like dire for the future of rowing at Warwick.
However the project started to grow and after three years, sales started to become more than just a few hundred to family
Was it always your intention to fight
and friends. It was at this point the boys
homophobia using the proceeds of the
- with the help of Angus - became aware
born to shoot a calendar to raise funds for
calendar or did that happen after it became
this support was coming from the gay
the club. We’ve never looked back!
popular with your gay followers?
community. The gay community, by buying
With this situation in mind, the idea was
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