Publican models for cheeky sign

Passers-by at a village pub can be forgiven for giving a doubletake to a saucy sign outside the watering hole.

The cheeky sign at the Half Moon at Kirdford depicts supermodel-turned-pub-landlady Jodie Kidd posing in the buff.

The pub portrait is all part of a campaign supported by Jodie – who has run the Half Moon for the past five years – to raise awareness and funds for the hospitality industry.

“As a landlord myself, I’m very aware of the struggles that pubs and the whole o f the hospitality industry are facing,” said Jodie.

The racy sign is one of several naughty pub portraits available for online auction – at www.stellapubsigns.com – where prints are also available to buy, with all profits being donated to Hospitality Action to assist pubs with rising energy bills.

Funds raised by the collection, inspired by Stella Artois Unfiltered, will also see up to £50,000 donated in matched funds by the lager brand.

Stella Artois also commissioned research which revealed the pub is still at the heart of the community for 55 per cent of people.

In the poll of 2,000 adults, 77 per cent said it was ‘sad to see’ so many pubs closing down in recent years. Data from Hospitality Action reveals applications for financial support are up by 29 per cent from the previous year.

Stella Artois spokeswoman Meg Chadwick said: “As a brand committed to tackling big issues within our communities, we wanted to offer our support to pubs during this challenging time. We want to raise as much money as possible: so art and pub lovers – buy nude art, help pubs.”