FIREMEN have turned up the heat in Rhayader as they’ve bared all for a charity calendar.

The retained fire crew, who are based at Rhayader Fire Station, have posed nude with strategically placed equipment to raise money for the children’s charity When You Wish Upon a Star and cancer charity The Bracken Trust.

The calendar has sold like hotcakes since it went on sale last Thursday (October 25) meaning the crew have had to order double what they had originally planned.

Retained firefighter Tom Jones, 29, said: “We’re hoping for a good reaction so that people can have a laugh with it, it’s all been in good fun.

“It’s been selling really well so far, we’ve actually had to order more because it’s sold so quickly.”

Tom, who works at Hafod Hardware in the town, said local photographer Ruth Rees took the snaps at the station before he edited them into the 2019 calendar’s final form while it was quiet in the shop.

The father-of-one said Rhayader residents had been suggesting the idea of a charity calendar for a couple of years.

He said: “We thought it was now or never, and now is the best time really because it’s in the lead up to the new year. We chatted about it at the end of one of our nights, and some of the men did take some convincing but in the end everyone was on board as we knew it would raise a lot of money for people who really need it. We’re aways up for a laugh, and it was a laugh doing it.”

There are 12 firefighters based at Station 09 in the Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service meaning each crew member was given a month each.

The men armed themselves with black face paint to replicate soot and baby oil for the photo-shoot.

Other than December with a Christmas setting, the months are not themed in the calendar.

Tom, who was one of the 12 firemen, said: “It was little nerve-racking, all of the others were trying to make us laugh or make it a bit awkward.

“We used baby oil and black face paint to look like soot, and it was just a bit of fun - we all enjoyed doing it. We had a bit of a laugh and it had a real feel good factor to it.”

Various businesses around Rhayader are stocking the calendar including Hafod Hardware, ET-James Garage, Fairfield Garage, Best-One, Spar, Rhayader Building Supplies, The Lamb and Flag, The Castle and The Elan Hotel.

The calendar, which costs £5, is also on sale online via Etsy for an extra £2.50 to cover postage and packaging. Tom said: “We’ve sold hundreds of them in the past five days - we’re thinking we’re going to have to double-up on the order.

“If we sell what we have left of the first order, we’ll have about £1,000 per charity.

“It is an extra £2.50 for postage and packaging if people buy it online, but that’s so we can ensure the full £5 goes to charity.”

A link to the calendar’s Etsy page is available on Rhayader Fire Station’s Facebook page.