STUDENT barbers at Sunderland College swapped their close shaves for close-up shots to create a 2015 calendar in aid of the Movember initiative.

The vintage-inspired calendar was the brain child of barbering lecturer, Mark Sowerby, who enlisted the help of his students for the ambitious project.

Shot on location at Beamish Museum, the barbering students modelled vintage clothes, on loan from Sunderland shop Scout Vintage, and beauty therapy students assisted Mark behind the scenes.

Mark said: “We have held small events in aid of Movember for the past three years, such as football tournaments and free grooming appointments, but this is by far the most ambitious project we have carried out.

“I thought it would be great for the students to produce a calendar to raise the profile of Movember and the great work that it does, and they were very keen to take part.”

The photo shoot took place in November, the most high-profile month for the charity, when men are challenged to grow moustaches and raise cash for the organisation.

Mark added: “I wanted the photos to have a vintage feel with a modern twist, so Beamish was the perfect place to shoot the calendar. It was a fantastic day - the students were great to work with and were true professionals. It was very apt that the models all had moustaches for the Movember calendar and I hope it helps to raise awareness of the charity, not just in November, but throughout the year.”

“The backing we have received from the public has been phenomenal and I would also like to thank Scout Fashion, MUK and First2Print for their support – we couldn’t have produced this calendar without them.”

The calendar, priced £5, is now on sale at the college’s Hylton campus in the Barber Shop and the learning centre.

The Movember Foundation helps fund vital work to save and improve the lives of men affected by prostate cancer, testicular cancer and mental health problems. It has raised £346m to date and funded over 800 programmes in 21 countries.