SWINDON CANCER APPEAL: PASSING the bucket around at dinnertime may conjure an unsavoury image, but for a group of sports fans it helped raised hundreds of pounds for the Swindon Cancer Appeal.

Cricklade Sportsmen's Asso-ciation has boosted the Evening Advertiser appeal to the tune of £600.

The group, which was started in 1988 by four sports-mad friends, knows all about charity. Since it started, the association has raised £30,000 for the benefit of Cricklade people.

The association's secretary and one of the founders, Rod Kensett, 59, said: "The association was started by a small group of us.

"We realised, that, in organising sports celebrity dinners, we could indulge in talking about sport, while eating, having a few drinks and raising money for good causes."

One of the group's diehard members, Guy Montezuma, a former community nursing manager, said: "I had been thinking of ways to collect money for Macmillan and at the last dinner I came up with the idea of a collection.

"It's fantastic that so much was raised.

"People were very generous and we had a great evening," said Mr Montezuma, 48, of Ockwells, in Cricklade.

Some £300 was raised from the collection and this was matched by the Cricklade Sportsmen's Association to make a grand total of £600 for the appeal.

The group organises three events a year, in October, Feb-ruary and May, at the Cotswold Hoburne Club, in South Cerney.

More than 200 guests regularly gather for a meal and after- dinner entertainment.

A host of celebrity speakers have attended events in the last 15 years. They include Fred Truman, Denis Law, Jack Charlton, Geoff Hurst, Jimmy Greaves, John Parrott, and Nobby Stiles.

Among the beneficiaries were the Cricklade Day Care Centre, Heberden House sheltered-housing complex, Cricklade firework display, Cricklade Historical Society, playgroups, and Crick-lade Rugby Club.

Appeal manager Graziella Campisano said: "Cricklade Sportsmen's Association has given us a wonderful sum of money and I'm most grateful."

To make a donation to the appeal online, click here.

Tell us about your fundraising event, click here.