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Marco Pierre White & Friends Down and Out for HA

12th Nov 2007 - 00:00
Abstract
A dramatic black and white image of Marco Pierre White, dressed in distressed clothes and rifling through rubbish bins is one of three hard hitting new ads supporting Hospitality Action, the hospitality industry's benevolent organisation.
Other famous faces pictured in the new ads are food writer Tom Parker Bowles and restaurant critic AA Gill. All three gathered for the shoot on a Camden rooftop, where they were provided with suitable costumes (from the BBC) and made up to look their worst. AA Gill was pictured, bottle in hand, on a bench surrounded by litter, cigarette butts and empty spirit bottles. Tom Parker Bowles is shown begging for food on a dark stairwell. The hard-hitting images follow previous HA ads shot with well-known industry figures such as Raymond Blanc and Antony Worrall Thompson. Marco is passionate about his involvement in the ads: "Anything that can create this kind of awareness of the problems individuals face is incredibly important. I feel very strongly that it is my duty to support HA as part of my commitment to the industry – I have a responsibility to give something back to a profession that has given me so much." Penny Moore, Chief Executive of HA commented: "All the participants in the ads have been brilliant and really positive about getting involved. We are hoping this is going to bring home the message that there are major problems people in the industry face that aren't going to go away. Having such high profile names involved is a great way to draw attention to how we are here to help those who are in need. Awareness of the important work HA does has definitely risen since the start of the campaign – the number of beneficiaries applying to us for help has increased by a massive 20% this year." Tom Parker Bowles agrees that the ads are a real essential: "I hope the campaign highlights the importance of HA, and that they offer vital help to anyone in the industry who needs it. People hope it won't happen to them but the problems shown in these ads - they could happen to anyone."
Written by
PSC Team