He is used to hurtling across the ice at top speed. But sledge hockey Paralympian Simon Berry drew gasps for a different reason yesterday when he stripped off to help disabled charity Scope.
The charity is running a nationwide campaign encouraging people to donate their unwanted clothing to its shops to help them raise funds.
Simon, 51, took part in the Strip For Scope campaign to help the charity's shop in Savile Street, Hull city centre.
He also roped in his friend Darren Sims, to the surprise of staff behind the counter.
Simon, who represented Team GB at the Winter Olympics in Turin in 2006, said: "I was really glad to help them.
"I was a bit nervous, actually, and I'm not normally nervous.
"Everything was all planned for me taking my clothes off but I knew I had to have a surprise element to it.
"Darren was walking around the shop when he came up to the counter and said 'That's a good idea' and took his clothes off too. The staff had no idea it was a set-up."
As part of the charity's campaign, disabled fitness model Jack Eyers is appearing in an online spoof of the famous Levi's 501 advert, when Nick Kamen stripped down to his boxers.
The Strip For Scope ad, based on the 1985 original, shows Eyers take a sign in the shop window appealing for clothes literally, leading him to strip to his boxers and donate his clothes in front of staff.
Now, Simon has followed Jack's example to bring the message to Hull shoppers.
Store manager Vicky Scott said assistant manager Debbie Sykes had come up with the idea of recreating the advert in Hull.
She said: "It was fantastic.
"Simon was such a good sport and, unbeknown to us, had also arranged for his friend Daz to take his clothes off as well.
"We didn't know who this other guy was when he came up to the counter and started stripping off.
"We had customers in the shop at the time and there was a lot of laughter.
"They both went outside into the street afterwards and I can only imagine what people on the bus going past were thinking."
Scope believes people across Yorkshire and the Humber are hoarding 12 million items of unworn clothing in their wardrobes, with 44 per cent bought in the sales.
The Scope poll found people have three outfits that have never been worn.
Tops, trousers, skirts and dresses are the items of clothing most likely to still have the tags on, but 10 per cent of shoppers are also shelling out on more expensive designer clothes that are being cast aside.
The charity is halfway through its Great Donate summer stock appeal and is urging people to donate unwanted clothing to its shop in Hull.
Sasha Phillips, stock donation manager at Scope, said: "On average, each bag of donated goods raises about £20 for our work with disabled people and their families – that means you could help us raise millions of pounds, just by parting with a few items of your unwanted clothing."
Visit the Scope website to watch the Jack Eyers advert.
Top player represented country for 15 yearsA motorbike accident left Simon Berry in a wheelchair at the age of 18.
But his disability helped him achieve the accolade of representing his country at the highest level of his sport for 15 years.
In 1998, Simon started playing sledge hockey, a form of ice hockey adapted for disabled players.
Within a year, he was representing Team GB and, by 2006, he was part of the GB squad at the Winter Olympics in Turin.
Simon has the highest level of disability in the sport, which is normally popular with amputees.
At 51, he has only just retired from Team GB and is now head coach at Hull's sledge hockey team Kingston Kestrels.
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