A COMEDIAN who recently appeared in her underwear discussing her 20-stone, size-24 body, her sex life and menopause on Channel 4’s Naked Education is bringing her one woman show to York.

Maura Jackson - an award winning charity boss by day who makes audiences laugh by night - will be raising money for a good cause at her York gig on Sunday, February 25 at The Theatre @41, Monkgate (tickets at: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk).

The 53-year-old will be helping boost the coffers of local youth homelessness charity SASH when she steps on to the stage in York next month.

The gig is part of a fundraising tour she’s embarked on up and down the country and SASH, a youth homelessness charity that works across York, North and East Yorkshire, helping young people aged 16-25 who are facing homelessness, is her chosen cause to support.

It is an issue close to her heart because Maura is also a CEO of young homeless charity BACK-UP North West with 33 years' experience in the social care sector.

Maura said she was excited to back SASH, adding its work was "as much about supporting young people to resolve the problems which have led to them becoming homeless as they are about putting a roof over their head". She added that these values lay close to her own mission as CEO of BACK-UP North West.

Maura has dealt with many social issues during her own life - including domestic violence, being a single mum, divorce, heartache, and the menopause - but a sense of survival and the ability to laugh at herself has brought her through.

Now, she shares her varied life experiences with audiences as a stand-up comedian who, in just 12 months, has earned thousands of fans across the country, after she dared herself to do it, facing her fears of performing in public.

She said: “Stand up comedy initially terrified me, yet here I am selling out my own shows. I believe life is for living and we need to stop worrying so much what others think - I want to bring some of this energy to York to help others feel spurred on for 2024.”

So what can people expect at her one-woman show?

“I’m a Northerner and I love meeting audiences from all over the UK and I hear people in York have a good sense of humour - and I’m really looking forward to meeting them” she said.

“I’m promising now that you’ll go away from my show cheered up and with a smile on your face!”

• For tickets go to: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk

• Find out more about Maura at: www.thefeatherfixer.org.uk