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GB’s Olympic Athletes Prove They’re Good Sports as They Tell Bad Jokes for Global Belly Laughs Day

24th January 2014

Video released today as part of new National Lottery ‘Just Imagine’ campaign
Wednesday January 22; Five of Team GB’s top athletes prove that they’re game for a laugh by telling their best worst jokes ahead of Global Belly Laughs Day on Friday, 24 January.

Britain’s most decorated Olympian Sir Chris Hoy, London 2012 gold medallist Jess Ennis-Hill, her fellow heptathlete Katarina Johnson Thompson, sprinter Adam Gemili and Paralympian Sally Brown all get in on the act in a new video released online today. Linking with today’s Global Belly Laughs Day, the athletes were asked to share their worst jokes as part of the National Lottery’s ‘Just Imagine’ campaign, which aims to raise awareness of the massive impact that £31 billion in project funding has had across the UK since the first National Lottery draw 20 years ago.

View the video here - http://bit.ly/1fbfbMJ

The athletes taking part have all received National Lottery funding at stages of their careers to help them maintain their peak physical condition in training and competitions, which is a good job as none of them would make it as stand-up comedians!

Jess Ennis-Hill is first out of the blocks and gets the giggles as she tells the classic “what do you call a man with a spade on his head? Doug!”

Sally Brown chuckles her way through the awful “where do chips go on holiday? Grease!”, while Katarina Johnson Thompson’s favourite is “knock, knock. Who’s there? Interrupting cow… Moooo!”

After a false start, Adam Gemili recovers with the old chestnut “what do you call a man with a sea-gull on his head? Cliff!”

And not to be out done, Sir Chris Hoy recycles what must be a popular funny at the velodrome – “why can’t a bicycle stand up? Because it’s too tired…”

To enable people to learn more about National Lottery funded projects in their area, the National Lottery has launched a ‘Good Cause Finder’. To see projects in your area, or to find out more about Just Imagine January, visit www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk

-ENDS-

Nodiadau i olygyddion

For press enquiries relating to the Just Imagine campaign:
Jim Williams jim.williams@fasttrackagency.com 07814 068 349
Alex Bake alex.bake@fasttrackagency.com 07552 289 290

For press enquiries relating to the National Lottery:
Michael Thompson, Head of Media at the National Lottery Promotions Unit, on 07734 295745.
Weblinks

Website: www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk
Twitter: @lottogoodcauses #JustImagine
Facebook: www.facebook.com/LotteryGoodCauses
About the National Lottery Promotions Unit
The National Lottery Promotions Unit (NLPU) is responsible for raising awareness of Lottery funding to Good Causes. Amongst other initiatives, NLPU manages the National Lottery Awards.
National Lottery funding is awarded through 12 distributing bodies: Big Lottery Fund, UK Sport, Sport England, Sport Wales, Sport NI, Sportscotland, Heritage Lottery Fund, Arts Council England, Arts Council Wales, Arts Council NI, Creative Scotland and the British Film Institute.

Over £31 billion has been awarded to good cause projects across the UK since the launch of the National Lottery back in 1994. Currently, £33 million of good cause funding is raised every week by National Lottery players.