IT IS far from a typical scene in a high street pub on a Tuesday night. Two women dressed in their underwear are standing in a paddling pool full of jelly, sizing each other up.

Suddenly, they lunge forwards, pushing and pulling each other to the floor. One woman is pinned to the side of the pool, wriggling helplessly under her opponent.

The crowd cheers as the loser scoops a handful of gunk from the pool and dollops it on the winners head.

Welcome to the world of Foxes Foxes lesbian jelly wrestling.

The women - victor Leah and loser May - are dancers from Poletrix a few doors down.

This is the second time they've taken to the jelly ring and the second time Leah's won.

This new night, held at The Old Fat Cat in Above Bar, is quickly growing in popularity, not only offering something new to the city's gay scene but also welcoming straight punters.

It's the brainchild of Catriona Bone, 24, a bar supervisor, and her partner Deborah Stockman, 21, a care worker.

Before we go any further, I should say that the jelly isn't the kind you can eat. It's actually children's bath jelly, hence the lurid colour.

Watch Echo reporter Maheesha Kottegoda give jelly wrestling a try - click here

The lesbians are real though - with a few straight friends thrown in for good measure.

The aim of the Foxes Foxes events - which are also set to include bikini-clad bull riding and a Hawaiian-style luau complete with surf simulator - is to provide a fun night for their friends and the community at large.

It might sound like little more than a titillating, potentially seedy, way to draw in punters - after all which straightman or gay woman's eyes dont light up at the words lesbian jelly wrestling? - but the events may also play an important role in helping to break down homophobia in the city and helping blur the boundaries between gay and heterosexual events and culture.

Deborah explains: "We wanted to do something different that people can go to and enjoy themselves without having to say I'm going to a gay bar or a lesbian event. It's something for people to come to and enjoy themselves.

"We dont go to typical gay bars but we'd come to something like this because it's good fun, especially for people who haven't come out yet."

Catriona adds: "It's 50/50 straight and gay. I dont think it feels alienating, like straight people can't come in. I think it helps because its in a typical high street pub. "You get straight girls coming in and joining in and normally there's quite a gap between straight and gay girls - they dont normally mix."

Catriona and Deborah say that when they put on their first event they were worried that there might be some trouble, particularly from straight men who weren't used to seeing women in couples.

But although at both last month's and tonight's event the crowd is mixed, there has not been a hint of trouble.

"It's been really surprising," says Deborah, "everyones been really tolerant of each other.

"I think events like this can help to make people more tolerant."

The organisers explain how they came up with the idea - watch the video

"A lot of regulars come in and no one rubs their sexuality in their face. Everyone just acts normally - I think its different from the representations of lesbians you often get on TV."

Although the evening is billed as lesbian jelly wrestling, a number of the competitors are neither gay nor women. These include friends Richard Monkey Lenton and Matt Bradbury.

Although the pair are straight, they are both heavily involved in the local gay scene and say events like tonight are great for helping to break down artificial boundaries based on sexual orientation.

Matt says: "You get people from different backgrounds coming in and having a right good laugh. "There are no boundaries and everyone gets to know each other. I don't think people should say I'm straight so I'm not going to socialise with gay people."

Richard adds: "I love gay culture. I think it's fantastic - it's the new thing for straights, gays, bis, whatever you are."

Back in the ring, the fights continue, all under the watchful eye of Brett Summers - the former CWC wrestling champion of Great Britain.

Each pair get three minutes with the bouts scored best out of three.

The first pair of wrestlers are definitely the most scantily-clad competitors of the evening.

Other contestants take part in tee shirts and jeans, shorts and even a floor-length leather coat.

The aim - to make a fun, inclusive evening that everyone can join in with and feel comfortable at - has been achieved.

Jelly wrestling is definitely a success - and if it helps make Southampton a more inclusive, tolerant city, that can only be a good thing.

  • For more information, visit gaysouthampton.com or join the Foxes Foxes Promotions group on Facebook.