A sexual health charity is using the current boom in sex toy sales, which it claims has been sparked by the popularity of the Fifty Shades of Grey series of erotic novels, to fund its projects.

Money raised by the charity FPA’s online sex toys store, www.desireandpleasure.co.uk, is helping to fund a number of projects, such as providing training courses for specialist advisers who then go on to offer sexual health services within their local communities.

FPA estimates that for every 20 vibrators it sells the charity can fund the training of one of these advisers.

All profits from the sale of products from the site go towards funding FPA’s work.

Terry Hawkins, FPA’s business development manager, said: “There is an urgent need to fund better access to advice and support on sexual health, sex and relationships as this is one of the areas of public health spending where government funding is being cut.

“It seems appropriate that the rapidly escalating consumer demand for sex toys, in part fuelled by the success and media interest in novels like Fifty Shades of Grey, help us to meet this gap in funding.”