FORCES sweetheart Becci Banfield is hoping to raise thousands for the Royal Marines from a special calendar.

Becci, from West Dorset, and pal Lois Powell have published the 2012 The Royal Marines Wives and Girlfriends Calendar after meeting while their partners were serving in Afghanistan.

Proceeds from the calendar, which includes a glamorous shot of Becci, from Bridport, on a Union Flag, are in aid of the Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund (RMCTF).

Former Beaminster School pupil Becci, 24, said: “We want to raise as much money as possible. That is the whole point but it was also about bringing together girls who were going through a difficult time.

“We’re really proud with the way it looks and has come out and we hope to raise a lot of money.”

Becci and Lois hope to raise about £9,000 from an initial print run of 1,000.

They had more than 50 entries after setting up a page on Facebook.

Becci said: “All of the girls who entered were gorgeous. It was a very difficult task picking a final twelve. The selection process wasn’t based just on looks but took into account their stories and their other halves.”

Companies and individuals were offered the chance to sponsor a calendar page for a minimum of £150.

This meant Becci and Lois were able to pay for the cost of printing the first 1,000 calendars and make money for charities straight away. The calendar was shot by Nicola Grimshaw-Mitchell of My Boudoir photography at her Manchester-based studio. Hair was styled by Love the Salon of Cheltenham and the make-up artist was Michelle Sisson. Lois says: “We simply couldn’t have done it without the support of our wonderful sponsors.

“Having this money behind the calendar means that we’ll start making money for the RMCTF from our very first sale.”

The underwear was donated by Boux Avenue, Playful Promises and Joyce Brooks Lingerie. The calendar was designed by Aqua Design Group.

One of the sponsors, Combat Casual Tees, has designed a T-shirt to support the calendar with profits in aid of the RMCTF. The calendar for 2012 is available for £8.99 from rmwagscalendar.co.uk