Fundraisers in Chippenham who arranged three popular events for Ted’s Big Day Out have raised more than £5,000 towards a new cancer care centre at the Royal United Hospital in Bath.
Members of the Chippenham Cancer Care Fundraising Group, a support group for the hospital’s Forever Friends Appeal, took part in the annual fundraising day on Friday.
They raised £311 through a coffee morning at St Andrew’s Church and £3,600 at a Hollywood glamour ball held at the West Wiltshire Golf Club.
The coffee morning was hosted by Liz Stokes and included games including guess the oldest bear and stalls.
In the evening, 99 guests changed into gowns and suits for the ball, which included a three-course dinner, music, dancing, an auction and a raffle.
Organiser Anita Hodgson, 51, of Woodland Park, Calne, began supporting Bath RUH after her husband Andrew was diagnosed with bladder cancer.
He went through a course of chemotherapy at the hospital and still goes there for occasional health checks.
She said: “We raised so much money it was unbelievable. We had already sold some raffle tickets, but on the night we sold £500 of raffle tickets and made £2,000 on the auction.
“We’ve already booked for next year and we’ve already got people asking about how they can be put on a list for when the tickets go on sale.”
Chippenham residents also raised £1,660 for the RUH cancer care campaign at the Goldiggers 80s Reunion at the Neeld Hall on October 12.
The evening was organised by Sharon Harris and Tracey Firth, who were regular party-goers at the old nightclub in the 1980s, owned for a period by Richard Branson.
They held the event for the first time last year in memory of an old friend Sean Maslin, who died in a gas explosion two years ago.
The Forever Friends Appeal is committed to raising £8m towards the new cancer centre.
Next year’s Goldiggers event will be held on October 11. To book, email sharon.callaby@tiscali.co.uk or firth13@hotmail.co.uk Mrs Hodgson is also organising another ball on October 10.
To get in touch call 07802 471992.
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