Shropshire mum's Lady Godiva ride raises money for charity

Ms Oakley said the police and local authority had approved the ride, as long as she maintained "some dignity"

A modern day Lady Godiva has ridden nearly-naked through her home town to support a suicide prevention charity.

Grace Oakley said she had been inspired to ride around the streets of Ludlow, Shropshire, because her mother had taken her own life in 2004.

She said: "I know just how heart-breaking and devastating it can be for those who are left behind."

And she said it was extra-relevant now, because of the effect the pandemic had had on people's mental health.

The ride, which lasted about 30 minutes, has raised more than £2,000 for Papyrus, a charity which focuses on preventing youth suicide.

Ms Oakley said she was 12 when her mother killed herself and it was not clear why she did it, but she said: "I think she just felt so alone, in a bit of a rut and she had nobody to turn to.

"I think everyone at some point has felt lonely, especially last year with Covid," she added.

She said the idea for the naked ride had suddenly come to her while she was watching television.

"It's the last year of me in my 20s and I wanted to do something outrageous," she said.

And she believed she could use the ride to raise awareness and money for Papyrus.

When she called the charity to explain the idea, the woman who answered the phone, "sort of laughed and said 'really?'".

"But in these days nobody would sponsor Barney the dinosaur," she said.

Ms Oakley said her horse, Ug, behaved beautifully during the ride, despite all the onlookers

Ms Oakley said her nine-year-old daughter "absolutely loves it" and told her teachers and everyone at school.

And she believes her mother would approve too and would not be surprised.

She said: "When she took her life she wrote us all a note. On my separate little piece of paper it just said 'Grace just keep on being yourself'.

"I've always been daft, I've always been rebellious and done daft things that I probably shouldn't and this is just one of those things. She'll be rooting... for me and laughing."

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