A parent who took his anti-Page 3 campaign to Legoland and Wapping is claiming victory after the Danish toymaker announced the end of its two-year partnership with the Sun.

Lego confirmed on Wednesday that its association with the paper had come to a "natural" end, officially denying the move was linked to a 12,000-strong online petition.

But a senior Lego executive had previously acknowledged concerns about its association with Page 3 in an email to campaigners.

Fiona Wright, Lego's vice-president and general manager in the UK and Ireland, told one anti-Page 3 supporter: "The recent promotion in the Sun was part of a two-year agreement which started in 2011 as part of our marketing strategy. This is our final promotion with the Sun."

She said the Sun had given more families the opportunity to experience Lego, but added: "I would like to emphasise, though, that we listen carefully every time a consumer shares a concern and thank you for bringing to our attention that this partnership has been something a lot of people were concerned about."

A Lego spokeswoman confirmed on Wednesdaythat the current campaign, which offers free toys to readers, was its "final promotion" with the Sun and emphasised that it was a "completely natural" end to the promotion. The company declined to comment further on Wright's email.

The Sun said the partnership officially ended in November 2012 and that the recent Lucky Dip promotion used stock from the previous agreement. A spokeswoman added: "It has been a fruitful relationship for both partners, delivering great short-term value to both businesses. We hope to work with Lego again in the future."

The move was welcomed by Steve Grout, a father of two boys from Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, whose online petition has attracted more than 12,000 signatures in under two weeks at the campaign site Change.org.

Grout started his petition after his sons, now aged seven and nine, saw a TV promotion offering free Lego toys to Sun readers.

"My kids started on at me, saying 'I wanna buy the Sun'. It sowed a seed in their mind that the Sun is linked to toys, but I don't want my kids to see a naked woman in the newspaper," he said.

"Up until today it has been: 'We've got no further promotions planned at present [with the Sun]'. Now it's the final one. I take that as a victory and I welcome it."

Grout's petition started on 22 February, but took off after a Lego promotion appeared next to a spread featuring the nakedbreasts of 12 Hollywood actors, including Kate Winslet and Penelope Cruz. The Oscars special edition of Biz Extra, published on 26 February, published the pictures alongside the lyrics to Seth McFarlane's controversial opening song We Saw Your Boobs.

Grout took his online campaign offline, appearing with a supersized Lego imitation of a Page 3 girl outside the Sun's headquarters in Wapping, east London, and the Legoland theme park near Windsor.

The final Lego promotion ran in Saturday's Sun, with one planned for the Irish edition of the title later this week. The campaign was promoted on the front page of the Sun throughout half-term week for schools at the end of February.

A separate anti-Page 3 petition, supported by the radio presenter Lauren Laverne and comedian and actor Jennifer Saunders, has reached 83,782 signatures on Change.org.

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