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.
A scoliosis sufferer was heartbroken to learn surgery would stop her dancing - but she battled through the pain to complete her GCSE dance exams and earn A* .
A teacher has told how she was attacked by a murderer on her way home from a night out but courageously managed to charm him out of strangling her .
FROM the rolling hills of the Scottish highlands to looming chalk cliffs in Sussex, these stunning photographs capture the spectacular beauty of Great Britain .
A mum-of-three lost 10 stone after her son asked if she was pregnant .
A little brown bear cub shows his doting mum that she is always on parent duty as he uses her as a scratching post .
INTIMATELY showcasing personal artefacts from a family's life, this abandoned bungalow has been left to rot for almost a decade .
BALANCING on top of a tree, this bear cub puts her climbing skills to the test .
A photographer has captured stunning photographs of the Milky Way above picturesque landscapes in the UK and Italy .
A Brit photographer has captured one of the world's most camera-shy species of fish - during a game of underwater peek-a-boo .
The gunslingers are long gone and tumbleweeds have taken over at this abandoned American Wild West Theme Park in Cornwall .
HUNDREDS of hot air balloons decorate the sky above Turkey as the rising sun illuminates the spectacular scenery below .