46-year-old Tony Winstone from Cheltenham has raised a mammoth £18,000 for Sue Ryder by organising a food and fun fundraiser in the popular Beehive pub in the Montpellier area of the town.
This is the fourth time Tony has organised the event in memory of his mum, who was cared for in her final days by the expert team at Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice.
To date, Tony’s total donation to the hospice, which houses Gloucestershire’s only inpatient unit for specialist palliative care, is an astonishing £34,500.
This year, the popular fundraiser was run over the course of two days (6-7 July) and featured live music from bands including Fat Tony’s live juke box and The Pop Tarts, a BBQ, raffle and an auction with some amazing prizes, including four tickets to see the England rugby team play against the All Blacks in the Autumn Internationals.
Tony explained: “The fundraiser is something I like to do every year – it’s a great community event and a way for people to come together and raise money for a really worthwhile cause.
“This year, we spread the event out over two days. On the second day, we were supporting Sue Ryder’s Ride for Ryder cycling event, providing somewhere for the riders to unwind and celebrate after they’d done their bit.”
Tony continued: “Last year we raised a sizeable amount of money – £9,300 – and I wanted to beat that this year. To come in at £18,000 and nearly double that is incredible!”
With 20 items up for bidding throughout the weekend, Tony also assumed the position of auctioneer. He explained: “We were very lucky with some very special donated items going into the auction and had a really good turnout, with up to 250 people at the event on the Saturday.
“It’s quite humbling to see how many people turn up and support me. People are already asking about my plans for next year!”
Speaking about his mum, Tony added:
“Originally, the event was a way to remember my mum, who was cared for by the team at Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice, and as a way of saying thank you for the way the staff looked after her.
“Now, it’s partly because I understand how much work the fundraising team has to do to raise the money they need each year; I’m happy to give up some of my time to give them a helping hand towards that.”
Tamsin Grainger, Senior Community Fundraiser at Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice, said: “We’d like to say a huge thank you to Tony for once again hosting his wonderful event at The Beehive and for his incredible continued support. To raise such a phenomenal amount of money is simply amazing and will go towards helping us be there when it matters for families across Gloucestershire.”
For more information on Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice, visit www.sueryder.org/leckhamptoncourt
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