Forget One Direction and Cheryl Cole, a new calendar is celebrating Britain's real heroes - the nation's most inspiring mums. Rather than showcasing skimpy outfits or the latest celebrity crushes, the Women of Strength 2014 calendar celebrates inspirational mums from across the UK. These are women who have overcome illness, domestic violence and disabilities to raise their children. The calendar has been created by single mum Dawn Cousins, 39, and all proceeds will go to Mothers 2 Mothers, an international charity helping to prevent paediatric AIDS in Africa. The mum of four from Harrow, London, said she was inspired to create the calendar to empower mums.
Animal rescue volunteers have told how a cat riddled with cancer was forced to ripped off its own ears after it was abandoned by its owners .
When personal trainer, Victoria Spence dreamt of achieving a thigh gap, she didn't realise her obsession would leave her body gripped by anorexia .
MEET the little lion of suburbia with a mane that makes him look like a mini-king of the jungle .
FLYING through the air, these delighted pooches pull their best poses mid-flight .
An intrepid explorer hopes to be reunited with his travel partner, after his cuddly toy companion was stolen .
Walking down the street in her local town, heads turn as Jessica Villafane passes by .
When Kylie Holgate discovered her fiancé was having an affair, her world came crashing down .
SOARING at 112 miles per hour through the air, this petite blonde certainly lives up to her title as the fastest flying woman in the world .
BEHIND the doors of this building, with its stacks of mattresses and discarded remains of wheelchairs, lies another victim of austerity cuts .
A middle spotted woodpecker swoops into her nest and feeds her young in a forest in Trentino, Italy .