Firefighters from Bradford have stripped off and lined up for some red-hot dates to raise cash for charity.

Most of Bradford's Red Watch at the city's Central Fire Station have taken part in producing a fundraising calendar for 2004, which sees them in a variety of sizzling poses promoting fire safety. The team was approached to do the calendar by The West Yorkshire Forget Me Not Trust, which is raising money to build a palliative care hospice for children on the M62 corridor.

The station's sub officer Paul Macnamara, who photographed the lads, said: "We were all really taken with the work of the charity and we thought it was a deserving cause so wanted to help out as best we could.

"From Station Officer Steve Atkinson to everyone else, nobody needed their arms twisting - everybody has been involved in some way or another."

The ReD Hot Dates calendar - which will be officially launched next week - features the firemen, ranging in age from 22 to 47, without their tops on. Underneath each picture is a fire-safety message or tip which relates to the relevant month. The safety messages range from checking electric blankets are safe in January, to being careful with barbecues in June through to making sure Christmas lights don't set fire to the house in December and lots more in-between.

Sub officer Macnamara said: "The fire safety messages are important and if we can help get them across while raising money we've done the job right. On the calendar side, it's basically been a lot of fun. We've had a laugh.

"We've got the good, the bad and the ugly in there - it's not been about posing as male models."

Linda Senior, founder of the trust said: "I can't thank them enough for what they've done. It's absolutely fantastic. The results are excellent and hopefully they'll raise a lot of money. My ten-year-old twins are buying me a copy of the calendar for Christmas!"

Sub officer Macnamara thanked various Bradford companies for their sponsorship as well as Polestar Direct of Leeds who printed 3,000 copies of the calendar free of charge.

The cost of Red Hot Dates is £4.99 plus postage and packaging and copies can be ordered direct from Red Watch through West Yorkshire Fire Service's website at www.westyorksfire.gov.uk Copies can also be bought from selected retail outlets from Tuesday. For information call (01274) 392 352.

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