Pinchbeck woman is baring (nearly) all for charity vegan calendar
A Pinchbeck businesswoman is baring (almost) all in a new charity calendar.
Karina Saunders (45), who runs vegan and cruelty free business IT's Cruelty Free, in Pinchbeck, with partner Ian Tarplee, posed for the month of October in the Vegan Girls calendar for 2020.
In the theme of the famous Women's Institute Calendar Girls, who stripped off for charity with just props to cover their modesty, the vegan calendar is all done very tastefully.
As well as raising awareness of veganism and going cruelty free, the calendar will help raise money for the Pudz Animal Sanctuary in north Lincolnshire and Action for Greyhounds in Norfolk.
Karina said: "Annie Boddey (from Action for Greyhounds) rang me up and said 'would you be interested in doing a vegan calendar?'
"I said yes and then she told me it was a naked calendar!
"It is not something I would normally do but it is supporting both the animal sanctuary and Action for Greyhounds."
Karina bravely posed for the calendar with other fearless women, wearing only a Hallowe'en witches' hat to mark October - and a basket of her business's products strategically held in front of her.
Underneath her picture she said: "My partner Ian and myself (along with my son Elliot) became vegans nearly four years ago after finding out what happens to bobby (male) calves. They are either shot soon after birth or sent abroad as veal calves."
She explains that her love for animals first started her on her vegan journey over 30 years ago when she became vegetarian at 13 years old.
"I told my parents I was going vegetarian but they thought it would only be a faze - how wrong they were.
"Animal vivisection became my focus. I've been researching this topic ever since and doing my GCSE exam on it, along with other forms of animal cruelty."
Their business IT's Cruelty Free, was set up by Ian when he was made redundant from his job as a barcode printing engineer.
Karina said: "He wanted to go more ethical in what he was doing and he wanted to do something cruelty free."
The IT part of the business name stands for Ian initials and they sell skin, body and hair care products online and at vegan fairs, where the calendar will be on sale
Products sold by IT’s Cruelty Free have to be cruelty free, must be 100% vegan and be produced in the UK. All of its packaging is either recyclable or reusable.
Ian is fully supportive of Karina's decision to take part in the calendar and did not rule out taking part in one himself in the future!
Find their shop online at: www.itscrueltyfree.co.uk
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