A WI glamour calendar is set to take the United States by storm following the publication of 60,000 editions, due to go on sale next month.

Leading American publisher Workman has struck a deal with 11 women from sleepy Rylstone, near Skipton, who shot to national fame when they posed nude for the alternative Women's Institute calendar.

About 100,000 calendars were sold in Britain, raising £330,000 for Leukaemia research.

The women, in their 40s, 50s and 60s, were inspired by the death from leukaemia of their close friend John Baker, from Cracoe, near Skipton, whose wife, Angela, 53, posed as Miss February.

The decision to publish in America was sparked following thousands of e-mail requests from the States after world-wide reports of the success of the calendar in the UK.

The money raised will be divided between the Leukaemia Society of America and the Leukaemia Research Fund in Britain.

Tricia Stewart, 50 - Miss October - said unlike in Britain the publication in America was a commercial venture by Workman and the profits would be split. But she said it was still hoped to raise thousands of pounds for the charity.

Copies of the American publication will be sold in the UK from bookshops and the women are expecting to hold a series of calendar signings.

She said: "We expect it to be sold in America for 10 dollars 95 cents. As yet a price for the home market hasn't been decided. It has to cover the costs of publication.But we think it will be a great boost again for the charity. We think it's another fantastic opportunity.

"We're still getting so many enquiries about the calendar from people using e-mail and we're getting requests all the time by telephone."

The new calendar will run from June 2000 to December 2001. It will feature the same photographs, but include others showing the launch in April 1999, at the Devonshire Arms in Cracoe, a group shot of the women and a photograph of the hand-over of the cheque to the Leukaemia Research Fund earlier this year.

Mrs Stewart said the new calendars are being printed at present and it is hoped to have them ready for sale within the month.

"It would be great if we could launch this new edition on April 12, the anniversary of the launch of the British calendar last year," she added.

Ellen Moregenstern, Workman's publicity director, said it was highly likely the 60,000 would sell out and more would need to be printed.

"There has been tremendous interest over here. It is hard to predict how things will go - I think it's poised for big success. The story has had a really positive reception in the media," she said.

The reference to the WI had been dropped from the main title of the US version, which will be called The Ladies of Rylstone. The WI, which is unknown in the United States, is referred to in the sub-title.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.