Cake or Death's Groovy News

[from thisiswiltshire.co.uk]

A cafe owner in Bradford on Avon donned a pair of black shiny stilettos to welcome cross-dressing comedian Eddie Izzard as he tackled the Wiltshire stretch of a 1,000 mile charity run across Britain.

Mo Bennie, 50, who runs Granny Mo’s, on the banks of the Kennet and Avon Canal, organised a welcoming party for 47-year-old Izzard, who arrived in the town on Thursday night.

Izzard, who is raising money for Comic Relief campaign Sport Relief, is completing the equivalent of 34 marathons accompanied by a documentary team from Tiger Aspect Productions and an ice cream van, which is giving away the treats in return for donations.

Miss Bennie and a crowd of about 20 people welcomed him to Bradford about 8.30pm, after he negotiated the canal towpath from Devizes, and the comedian quickly tucked into cake and a glass of milk.

Miss Bennie said: “I organised a welcoming party for him with some of the boaters so when he came down the towpath he was extremely amazed to see how many people were here cheering him on. He was extremely tired.

“I worse some stilettos in honour of him.

“He is a really, really lovely man. He’s extremely good looking.

“There was a lot of alcohol flowing during the night and general excitement. It was a pleasure to see him.”

To cap the experience, Miss Bennie was amazed to see the comedian lying on a bed by the lock outside her cafe on Friday morning, having his feet tended to before attempting the next stretch of the run towards Bathampton and onto Bristol.

“I spoke to him and he gave me a great big hug,” Miss Bennie said.

“I admire what he is doing.

Izzard is carrying a St George flag throughout the entire challenge, which he started in Trafalgar Square, London, on Monday, July 27. He is updating his fans through his Twitter page.

The stand-up comic, whose sets include Dress to Kill and Definite Article, has also appeared in a host of films including Velvet Goldmine, Ocean’s Twelve and Thirteen, The Chronicles of Narnia and Valkyrie.