Granada TV presenter Paul Crone thought that persuading supporters of the North West Air Ambulance to get their kit off for a raunchy charity calendar was all a bit of a good-natured laugh. However, not everyone appears to have found it so funny.
Crone bearing all
Crone, a regular on regional TV screens since joining Granada in 1984, has a history of involvement in fund-raising projects for charitable organisations, and worked as one of the planning team on the ‘bare in the air’ calendar.
This features supporters and staff of the Air Ambulance, which costs £1.9m a year to run, baring their flesh in a format that has grown increasingly popular over the years - in part due to the WI’s Calendar Girl’s phenomenon.
Each month of the calendar is accompanied by a picture of various well-wishers in a state of undress, with their dignity preserved by strategically placed pieces of ambulance equipment, such as stretchers and defibrillators.
Crone himself is Mr December.
Although the calendar appears to have achieved wide spread support since its launch last month – Booths are currently stocking it priced at £5 – this has not been forthcoming from The North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust (NWAS), which has banned its sale from its own premises.
A clothed Cone
In a statement printed in the Lancashire Evening Post, the NWAS noted: “The trust has a clear duty to protect the dignity at work of its staff and in the light of concerns raised by some members of staff regarding the nature of the content of this calendar is not allowing its sale from NWAS premises.”
Upon the launch of the project Crone said: "We hope it doesn’t offend anyone because after all it’s only a bit of fun.”
An opinion that the NWAS clearly doesn’t seem to concur with.
For How-Do’ers that want to see a lot of near-naked people draped over various helicopter and ambulance components, we suggest you get down to Booths or order a calendar online from www.nwaa.net.
You’ll be raising much-needed funds for charity… and you can always rip out the month of December if you’re of a nervous disposition.
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