A courageous cervical cancer survivor has completed her most daring challenge to date \u2013 stripping off for a saucy charity calendar.<\/p>\n
Brave Ali Alcock, from Corwen, took part in a thrilling sky dive and acrobatic wing walking stunt in a week of charity exploits and she\u2019s now setting pulses racing in a different way in aid of the MacMillan Cancer Support.<\/p>\n
Ali bared all along with 20 friends and family in a naked photoshoot in a friend\u2019s back garden and a host of other locations \u2013 with just a prop or two protecting their modesty.<\/p>\n
The calendar, unveiled at a charity race night at Stanton House pub in Chirk, is the icing on the cake of an adrenalin-pumped week in which she has taken on a magnificent seven challenges in memory of her beloved cousin, paratrooper Mark \u2018Weeksy\u2019 Weeks, of Johnstown, near Wrexham, who lost his courageous battle with a terminal brain tumour last September.<\/p>\n
The activities have been generously sponsored by long-term supporters Ifor Williams Trailers whose company director Carole Williams donated \u00a32,200 towards the appeal, covering the entire printing and production costs of the charity calendar and more.<\/p>\n
The donation enables Ali to donate 100 per cent of the money she raises to Macmillan, which supported her during her hour of need when she was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2015.<\/p>\n
It has been an exhilarating time for the social worker who not only conquered her fear of heights but also bumped into her showbiz idols \u2013 former international cricketer turned TV personality Freddy Flintoff MBE and comedian Jason Manford \u2013 in a chance meeting at the summit of Snowdon.<\/p>\n
Ali\u2019s aiming to top the \u00a320,000 she raised last year thanks to her bravado \u2013 and says the calendar will net at least \u00a33,000 of that sum if she can sell all 300 copies at \u00a310 each.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone was so brave. It\u2019s a big thing to ask people to do,\u201d said Ali, who works for Denbighshire County Council.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously there are props and it\u2019s tastefully done but I can\u2019t thank them enough.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy cousin\u2019s brother let us do the majority of the photoshoot in his garden \u2013 thankfully it was very secluded although the cows in the field got a bit of a shock!<\/p>\n
\u201cThe hikers were amazing \u2013 they did it on the top of the mountain and I can tell you it was absolutely freezing. We had snow, wind, hail – you name it – but fair play, they took everything off and really did have a lot of fun.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do try and put the fun into fundraising. Even though it\u2019s a very serious cause, people know that already and you don\u2019t need to keep telling them. You need to have as much fun as possible.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was daunting, but I just thought I have to lead by example. I will never ask anyone to do anything in my fundraising that I wouldn\u2019t do myself. I was one of the first to get my clothes off!\u201d<\/p>\n
The calendar features Ali in a field raising a glass of bubbly to the sky in memory of her cousin.<\/p>\n
In another shot, Weeksy\u2019s pals are snapped in their birthday suits in their friend\u2019s bar.<\/p>\n
The photography was done by Huw Jones from Huw Jones Photography in Corwen, who kindly donated his services free of charge, while hair and makeup was provided by fellow calendar model Lisa Hughes from Guys and Molls in Chirk.<\/p>\n
The fundraising week kicked off with a hike to the summit of Snowdon, accompanied by more than 40 supporters, with a much faster descent on the Velocity 2 Zipline the following day, soaring at speeds of up to 100 miles an hour over the Penrhyn Quarry in Bethesda.<\/p>\n
\u201cI kept getting messages from others that Freddy Flintoff and Jason Manford were at the top of the mountain and I wasn\u2019t sure if they were just teasing!\u201d said Ali.<\/p>\n
\u201cI heard they were going off the mountain by 3pm \u2013 so I ran down the mountain to get to them! They did a video supporting my \u2018Week for Weeksy\u2019 and lots of selfies with my hikers. Everyone had a lot of fun and thankfully we got them all down safely.\u201d<\/p>\n
The TV personalities weren\u2019t the first celebrities to endorse Ali\u2019s fundraising adventures. She also received the \u2018Royle\u2019 seal approval from top comedy actor Ricky Tomlinson who recorded a video urging people to support her and personally chipped in for the cause.<\/p>\n
Ali worked with five local schools to make a video promoting Makaton, a language programme that uses signs together with speech and symbols, which has already achieved 5,000 hits on her Facebook page.<\/p>\n
Later in the week, Ali returned to the same airfield in Gloucestershire she completed a 10-minute wing-walk at altitudes of up to 10,000ft. This time, the plane also did aerobatics, including a loop the loop, while she performed a series of barrel rolls and spins with just a leaning post for company.<\/p>\n
As if that wasn\u2019t enough adventure for one week her nerve-wracking diary also featured a sky dive from 15,000ft above the Tilstock airfield in Shropshire.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you first go up during the wing walk the wind resistance is quite brutal,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can breathe OK but the wind resistance is quite harsh. When you go upside down, the pilot cuts the engine for a few seconds and there\u2019s this moment of serenity where the wind resistance stops. A couple of times I was even brave enough to put my arms out!<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is my motivation, I\u2019m so passionate about doing all this. When you ask people to put their hands in their pockets you have to make the things you do worthy challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ali began fundraising for Macmillan six years ago and has since raised more than \u00a340,000.<\/p>\n
She credits a routine smear test in 2015 as having helped save her life, as it led to her being diagnosed with cervical cancer and undergoing a hysterectomy.<\/p>\n
Ali was given the all-clear and has dedicated much of her spare time since then to paying back Macmillan Cancer Support for the help nurses provided while she was receiving treatment.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do get a buzz out of it. Once I got the all-clear, going through something like that gives you a new perspective,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI cannot thank everyone enough for their support they\u2019ve given me, it\u2019s totally overwhelming.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe donation from Ifor Williams, in particular, is crucial as it means the money I raise can go straight to Macmillan and I am so grateful. They are right behind me all the way and they let me know that.\u201d<\/p>\n
IWT director Carole Williams said: \u201cAli\u2019s drive and passion is absolutely unstoppable and we are enormously proud of all her efforts for Macmillan.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe is an inspiration and has shown that with courage and good humour, it\u2019s possible to transform something traumatic and frightening into something positive for the benefit of others.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are delighted Ali has conquered her fears in such a dramatic and exhilarating way. I wish her all the best with her future fundraising exploits and hope that everyone gets behind her latest efforts by snapping up their copy of this fantastic calendar.\u201d<\/p>\n
The fundraising week concluded with a charity football match with games between teams from Corwen and Rhos, where \u201cWeeksy\u201d lived.<\/p>\n
The event saw two matches played – one between Corwen Veterans and their counterparts from Rhos and Corwen current team versus Llangollen. Both were playing for the Mark Weeks Memorial Trophy in what will now become a yearly event.<\/p>\n
Calendars are priced at \u00a310 and are available to purchase on Ali\u2019s Facebook page. She has also set up a Just Giving account for people who would like to make a donation to Macmillan: <\/strong>https:\/\/bit.ly\/3MJyv9J<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n