BRITAIN'S MOST INSPIRING CALENDAR GIRLS

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.

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CHIPMUNK YOGA

ARM extended and head flung back, this little chipmunk performs a loose-limbed yoga move .

ABANDONED WILD WEST THEME PARK

The gunslingers are long gone and tumbleweeds have taken over at this abandoned American Wild West Theme Park in Cornwall .

CLIMBING BEAR CUB

BALANCING on top of a tree, this bear cub puts her climbing skills to the test .

BEAR CUBS AND DOTING MUM

A little brown bear cub shows his doting mum that she is always on parent duty as he uses her as a scratching post .

SWIMMING WITH WHALE SHARKS

A diver looks like a minnow as she swims alongside a gigantic whale shark, the largest species of fish on the planet .

HEROIC BURNS SURVIVOR BECOMES FIREFIGHTER

An American man who suffered horrific third-degree burns to 70 percent of his body in a childhood accident has faced his fears by becoming a firefighter .

AMAZING AURORA BOREALIS

A GLOWING range of greens and blues sweep across the sky in a spectacular display of light .

BETRAYED BY CANCER CON WOMAN!

Recovering from a rare form of breast cancer, Deborah Barnett, 43, of Stoke-on-Trent, thought she'd made it through the worst, but she was betrayed by former colleague Sandra Ramsay, of Mow Cop Road, Mow Cop, Stoke-on-Trent .

THE UNEXPECTED FRIENDLY GIANT

A baby sperm whale assumed the role of a friendly giant when faced with two awestruck divers .

BABY WITH HEART-SHAPED BIRTHMARK CONCEIVED ON VALENTINE'S DAY

An adorable baby girl was born with a heart-shaped birthmark on her forehead - after being conceived on Valentine's Day .

WELSH HOTEL ONCE HOME TO WWI SOLDIERS NOW LIES ABANDONED

A grand 56-bedroom hotel, once heaving with injured soldiers during the First World War, now lies completely abandoned .

SNOW HITS BIRMINGHAM

More weather chaos is heading our way, with ice and snow already hitting areas across Birmingham .