BASQUE BUST - UP; This is what Lady Godiva's statue should look like today, but city centre cleaners ruined charity fashion show stunt by removing her underwear.Byline: Warren Manger manger cattle trough which served as crib for Christ. [N.T.: Luke 2:7] See : Nativity COVENTRY'S world famous Lady Godiva is at the centre of a fresh nudity scandal - 1,000 years after she rode naked through the city's streets. The Godiva statue in Broadgate should be sporting a glamorous pink basque Basque Spanish Vasco Member of a people of unknown origin living in Spain and France along the Bay of Biscay and in the western Pyrenees mountains in the region of the Basque Country. About 850,000 true Basques live in Spain and another 130,000 in France. this week to promote a fundraising fashion show for Cancer Research UK. But city centre workers stripped Lady Godiva of her lovely lingerie after just one day. They thought it was a prank. And it left them on course for a bust-up with hardworking charity volunteers. Emma O'Brien, who has or-ganisethe Basques for Breast Cancer catwalk show, said: "To start off with we thought some drunk had shimmied up there and stolen it." "It's really frustrating frus·trate tr.v. frus·trat·ed, frus·trat·ing, frus·trates 1. a. To prevent from accomplishing a purpose or fulfilling a desire; thwart: because we made sure we did everything right and got permission for it to be there for two weeks. "But it was taken down before people even had chance to notice it and wonder why it was there." When Emma realised the basque had disappeared she contacted Coventry City Coun-cilwho had given permission for the publicity stunt A publicity stunt is a planned event designed to attract the public's attention to the promoters or their causes. Publicity stunts can be professionally organised or set up by amateurs. Amateur stunts can be trivial or deathly serious. and helped to dress Lady Godiva in the basque. But council chiefs were just as baffled by the mystery as she was. It took a whole day's detective work before they discovered it had been taken down by English Landscapes - a contractor working for city centre management firm CV One. Cleaners removed the corset corset, article of dress designed to support or modify the figure. Greek and Roman women sometimes wrapped broad bands about the body. In the Middle Ages a short, close-fitting, laced outer bodice or waist was worn. By the 16th cent. after mistaking it for a prank. CV One has now offered to have the basque re-made and Lady Godiva will be dressed in the new underwear on Friday. No-one from CV One was available for comment. The fashion show, Basques for Breast Cancer, will be held at the Lock Gallery in the Canal Basin, 0n August 16. Local artists and designers have rallied round to donate the basques and the pink themed event will also include raffles, stalls and a host of other attractions. Tickets cost pounds 10 and will be available from the gallery in advance or on the day. CAPTION(S): MISSION ACCOMPLISHED (Or so Organiser Emma they thought) ... O'Brien (third left) poses in front of the statue before the basque (main picture) was removed |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion