Calendar Girl backs Sunderland World Cup bid

Oct 3 2009 by Adam Jupp, The Journal

MOVES to bring World Cup football to Wearside have been given naked ambition.

Tricia Stewart, the brains behind the alternative Women’s Institute calendar that inspired hit film Calendar Girls, has backed Sunderland’s bid to stage the festival of football.

The city wants to be included in England’s application to host the 2018 or 2022 tournaments, with a decision expected later in the year.

Potential host locations need to show they have widespread public support for their efforts and the Sunderland campaign has already won the backing of business heavyweights Nissan and Caterpillar.

Fellow football clubs Middlesbrough, Darlington and Hartlepool, whose facilities would be used as training camps during the World Cup, have also thrown their weight behind the bid.

Now, it is the turn of former radiographer Tricia, from Sunderland, who following the death of her friend’s husband in 1998 from non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, dreamed up the calendar idea.

The Alternative WI Calendar – for which WI ladies posed in the nude – was launched in April 1999 to worldwide acclaim. Tricia, who was born in Sunderland but is now living in North Yorkshire, was portrayed by Dame Helen Mirren in the film about the story and by actresses Lynda Bellingham and Anita Dobson in the West End stage play of the same name.

Tricia has given her backing to the World Cup campaign by again going naked, with her modesty preserved only by an England flag.

She said: “When I heard about Sunderland’s campaign to be a host city in England’s bid to host the World Cup in 2018 I really wanted to find an eye-catching way to show my support.

“I couldn’t think of anything better than to create an image based on The Alternative WI Calendar, and literally fly the flag for the campaign.

“It would be fantastic to see such an important event as the World Cup come to Sunderland and the North East – I know that the city and region would put on a world-class show.”

Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn said: “I was absolutely delighted that Tricia decided to back the Sunderland 2018 host city bid in her own inimitable style.

“Her imaginative support is a great example of how people and businesses alike can be creative in getting behind the campaign, as well as registering their support online, by text message or by signing one of the ‘back the bid’ books, all of which is really important.

“Tricia has done a huge amount for Leukaemia Research over the years and I wish her every success with her new calendar.”

To register support for the bid, people can log on to www.sunderland2018bid.com or text “Sunderland2018”, along with their name, house number and postcode to 62299.

Texts are charged at the standard network rate. All messages of support will be included by Sunderland in the final bid document presented to the FA.