Article from Western Daily Press
A cunning 17th Century chair which allowed monks to sit and dine in their tiny cells is storming America after being given a makeover by a Herefordshire furniture maker.
Created by the firm I & JL Brown, of Whitestone, near Hereford, the Monk's Bench is a chair which has a back that folds down to create a table for six.
But Marketing Manager, Simon Hilton then had a second ingenious plan to woo the American market by using monks from historic Belmont Abbey in Hereford to advertise the chair.
Now pictures of the monks using the chairs have been exciting Americans at trade fairs in the States and they can't wait to get their hands on the furniture.
Abbey spokesman Brother Bernard said: "We were asked if we were willing to help out with some of the publicity and provide some real monks for the adverts rather than them having to dress up actors.
The Abbot decided there was no harm in it and we thought the publicity would be good for the company and also for us."
The monks hope to attract more visitors to the Abbey, which is one of the last working monasteries in Britain with a guesthouse and conference facilities.
For more information on Belmont Abbey go to www.belmontabbey.org.uk
