Daring 'Full Monty' lads raise a cheeky £3,000 after baring all for charity
The brave men who bared all for charity are planning a second strip-off after their ‘Full Monty’ fundraiser raised thousands for good causes.
A Telford recreation of the hit 90s film The Full Monty raised £3,000 for Hope House, Mind and West Mercia Search & Rescue earlier this month.
The event saw seven local men, including Donnington Parish Councillor and Telford’s ‘Batman’ Jay Gough strip down in front of around 200 onlookers.
The inspiration for the event hit Councillor Gough during a rewatch earlier this year and within days of putting out a call for volunteers, he had assembled a group of men willing to strip down to help out.
The evening, which aside from the main event, included musical and comedy performances and a raffle.
“It was amazing, a really fantastic night,” Jay said. “We were all a bit nervous, I hadn’t suffered with nerves until the day but when the music started we just all got into it.”
For many of the men, whose ages range from 18 to their 50s, the experience has given them a confidence boost and an unexpected sense of comradery.
Jay explained: “We’ve all become really close friends and built up our own little support network.
“There’s a number of us who suffer with mental health problems – which is why we chose a mental health charity – and it’s been wonderful to come together over something like this.
“It’s about body confidence too. We’ve all got different body shapes and we just threw it all to the wind.”
“It’s given us a new perspective of how things can be if you’re willing to put the effort in and work hard and of how important a good support network is.
“It’s nice to build that up and make a difference to each other as well as for these good causes.”
After ticket sales and the raffle raised £2,819, former Telford councillor Joy Francis stepped in to top up the funds ensuring all three charities received £1,000 each.
Empowered by the success, the men are already planning a second showing of the Telford ‘Full Monty’.
The next event will take place on Friday, October 27 at Donnington Sports and Social Club to raise money for the military charity SSAFA and Adoption Matters.
Tickets are £10 and are available from the bar at the club.
