Pub punters display a little cheek for charity

IPSWICH: A brave bunch of pub-goers have decided to bare all in the name of charity.

The cheeky regulars at Ipswich’s Black Horse pub didn’t take too much persuasion to strip off in aid of their neighbouring church.

The tower of St Mary at the Elms suffered devastating damage in July from a large fire.

Donna Birch, landlady of the pub, in Black Horse Lane, spoke about raising some money with parish priest, Stephen Raine, who suggested she ran it by her customers.

She said: “When we spoke about it to our regulars, one of the lads laughed and suggested a nude calendar as a joke, only for the others to say they were up for doing it.”

Father Stephen added: “It wasn’t until I walked in on one of the photos being taken that I had... shall we call it an inkling, at that point, that a nude calendar was on the cards.”

The calendar boyswere selected for each month, including Mrs Birch’s husband and pub landlord Gary Birch.

Various local businesses supported the calendar by offering their services for free or for a reduced fee, including professional photographer Henry Murphy who ensured that each of the lads in the buff had their essentials covered on the photos.

Clarus Creative designed the calendar with Suffolk Design and Print printing the final product. The individual photos are being kept under wraps until the launch at the Black Horse on November 6.

n What do you think of the pub’s efforts to raise funds for the church? Write to Your Letters, The Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or send us an e-mail to eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk