Naked truth boosts Jennings
Lakeland brewer Jennings is set to cash in on the movie Calendar Girls.
The film, which stars Helen Mirren and Julie Walters, goes on national release tomorrow and all the pundits are predicting that it will be a blockbuster.
The film is based on a true story about Women's Institute members from North Yorkshire who pose in the nude to raise money for charity in honour of a friend who died of leukaemia.
The women used to hold their meetings at the Devonshire Arms in Cracoe, a Jennings pub, and approached the brewer for sponsorship.
Although a small print run was anticipated, it ended up with Jennings distributing more than 600,000 calendars and having to take on three extra staff to cope with the demand.
In the film, Helen Mirren refers to "the lovely people at Jennings".
Managing director Mike Clayton commented: "We had no idea at the time just how huge the calendar would be, and demand took us completely by surprise, let alone that the story would eventually become a blockbuster movie with a star-studded cast.
It is a fantastic story and we are very proud to be involved and to get a mention in a film that will be seen by audiences worldwide."
To mark the event, Jennings is running a promotion offering the chance to win a trip for two to Los Angeles during the Oscars.
The promotion will be supported by 125,000 drip mats, 1,500 posters, 62,500 flyers and nearly a mile of bunting some of which is being modelled by Jennings' own girls.
