Ask a bunch of brawny men whether they'd be prepared to do a spot of ballet or high kicking can-can dancing, and then tell them they have to wear fishnet tights, frilly garters, skirts, wield pompoms and slap on the lipstick to perform on the streets of their own town, and you might have imagined they would make a choice reply.

But not only did they agree, but the beefy male majorettes went on to woo the hearts of thousands, raise a staggering £100,000 for special needs children, and achieve TV stardom.

At Saturday's Devizes Carnival however, 18 years on, many of the men who were Wrecks will return for a grand performance as they bow out finally.

Liz Smith, who has been their choreographer from the start, has no doubt there will be tears. "But we will be going out on a high note.

"When Nick Glenister said he wanted to get a group of dads together to do a carnival routine with the Contact a Family children I said I'd only do it if they were smart and did it properly, and not look like a load of boozers on route to the pub.

"They took the carnival by storm and the bookings just flowed in. It was the start of something so amazing.

"Little did I think then we would perform before 10,000 people at the British Military Tattoo at the NEC or be on TV.

"We've had a teacher, two head teachers, a police inspector, a parking attendant, town councillor, a plumber and even two who danced with us after kidney transplants. There have been 84 men dancing over the years, but now we are down to just a few.

"Above all we have had so many laughs. The lads have changed in pig huts, horse boxes and even potting sheds. They've had wolf whistles from rugby internationals, some incredulous looks from the French Foreign Legion during one show, and made a quick exit from a crowd of bikers. They even got invited to perform for a Japanese man who was so taken aback he gave £1,000."

Barney Pike, 16, had the indignity of losing his skirt in one routine, and one Major Wreck got his cover blown when someone came over the tannoy calling for "Police Inspector Williams."

But as one Wreck said: "We did it for Contact a Family, for the children.

"We had laughs, the camaraderie was incredible and we made people laugh and be happy."

WRECK FILE

  • September 1989: Dads from the Devizes Contact a Family group came up with the idea of performing as a troupe of male majorettes. The Major Wrecks made their first outing and had the crowds rocking with laughter at the Devizes Carnival and within days bookings start to roll in.
  • 1990: The Major Wrecks start their first hectic season performing at fetes, charity events and shows but their greatest accolade came when they performed at the British Military Tattoo at the NEC in Birmingham before a crowd of 10,000 people.

Emmerdale star Frank Tate (Norman Bowler) meets the Wrecks to congratulate them on their display.

  • 1990s: The Major Wrecks manage to scoop no less than five carnival cups as their routines get more and more spectacular. They travel far and wide across the country including performing at Santa Pod, before prisoners at Portland, entertaining the crowds at the Boat Race and at Butlins.
  • 1998: The Wrecks travel up to London to be filmed for the Barrymore Show but the footage was not broadcast.
  • 1999: Huge crowds gather to see the Major Wrecks do a special performance in front of Longleat House for the Wiltshire Crimestoppers event.
  • 2000: The Major Wrecks stun the crowd with their Millennium routine dressed in spectacular costumes. Mascot Kayleigh Hughes wears stunning gunmetal costume covered in silver stars with a silver mask.
  • November 2000: TV stardom as the Wrecks appear on national TV as part of the BBC's Children in Need telethon.
  • 2002: Numbers of performers are down to 17 and are fully stretched. The Major Wrecks are forced to issue a warning that unless new recruits come forward the popular group would have to fold.
  • 2004: The Major Wrecks travel as far as Nuneaton and Bournemouth to perform and the pace of bookings make for a hectic schedule filling every weekend
  • 2005: Gannett, the owners of the Gazette and Herald, makes a grant of £10,000 for a new minibus.

Always ready to surprise

WHEN the Wrecks first danced their way into the limelight, their red and white costumes and fishnets raised a few eyebrows but it was nothing compared to the extravaganza that was to come.

Choreographer and trainer Liz Smith, wives and backroom girls made all of the costumes, but it was Liz who was to dream up the ideas that were to stun the crowds.

"It was all in my head. I'd get an idea and go from there," she said. "We'd have the theme in mind with the music and dance routines and the costumes were part of it."

Wrecks have donned African tribal costumes complete with feathered headdresses, fans and shields.

Each year there was a different theme with dozens of costumes, not just for the men but over the years for the young mascots who led the parade and had their own spectacular outfits.

But it was perhaps Millennium which was the zenith of splendour.

Liz said: "I wanted a silver and gold look, glittering capes.

"I made the mascot's headdress with a silver mask and then covered the dress in hundreds of silver stars. I then made a silver jumpsuit with gossamer wings for the nymph."

Hours and hours of work went into the costumes. All had to stand the test of the pop, ballet and classical dances, the high kicks, to say nothing of the wear and tear at dozens of events.

The men came in all shapes and sizes so costumes had to be robust. The Wrecks could not always change in ideal circumstances either and many a laugh was had as they struggled into tights and frilly garters wherever they could. Modesty had to go by the board.

"But when they stepped out I felt proud of them all. It was all worth it," Liz admits.