Stuart braves his San-kini for wedding fundraiser...
AMAN dressed up in a Santa mankini to raise funds for one of his support worker wife’s terminally ill patients.
Stuart Gilmour, from Middleton, took to the streets to collect funds for the couple.
The patient asked Stuart’s wife Karen, a support worker at Oldham Hospital, to arrange an emergency wedding, so Stuart donned his mankini to play his part.
“My wife helped them find a wedding dress and got people to donate their services like hair and makeup,” said Stuart, 41.
“I borrowed one of my friends’ sports cars for the day and I got on to a local butcher to get them a meat hamper.
“To try and raise some money for them as well, I dressed up in the Santa mankini.”
As the patient is very sick, Stuart did not want to give the patient’s name or show a photo of the wedding to respect the couple’s privacy.
At first Stuart wanted to wear the mankini during his job as a HGV driver for DHL, but one of his manager’s pulled the plug so he decided to hit the streets of Middleton.
Stuart, who lives on Oldham Road and has three children Camron, Ruby and Ellie, said: “Rather than not do anything at all, on Christmas Eve I went round Middleton to try and raise some money.
“I had a Santa sack and was in the Santa mankini and I stood outside the Tesco Express on Oldham Road, I didn’t go inside because I didn’t want to upset anybody.
“People were putting money in and donating.
“With those donations and those from walking around Middleton, which was right cold, we raised £250 for them.”
Stuart received a few raised eyebrows from his family during his efforts to brave the wintry conditions wearing only a Santa mankini.
“They think I’m crazy,” he said.
“They take it for what it is, it’s raising money for good causes. We’re all behind this couple.
“I thought they needed some help, that’s all - to give them a nice
●●Stuart Gilmour on the streets of Middleton in his Santa mankini and, inset left, the sportscar donated to the couple for their wedding day