A Really Good Friday – Over £2,400 Raised For Good Causes In Gosport And Fareham - Walking Sports Hub

Friday 27th March was a good day for two good causes in Gosport and Fareham, with a total of £2,404 raised for the Gosport And Fareham Inshore Rescue Service (GAFIRS) and the Dying For A Defib appeal to buy outdoor defibrillators in the area.

The Gosport and Fareham Rugby Club held a charity horse racing night which raised £1,134 for the “Dying for a Defib” appeal. The event was hosted by Rugby Club member, Nick Western who is very witty. Racing the ‘hobby horses’ was great fun and created lots of laughter, especially for the hurdles and water jumps races. It was a lovely community event with raffle prizes donated by local businesses and Rugby Club members.

Prizes included a power drill from Covers Timber & Builders Merchants, vouchers from the Castle In the Air Pub Restaurant, The Jolly Miller pub, Breezes Café, gin and wine from J Ward Builders, The Rose & Poppy Café, rum from The Carisbrooke Arms, fruit from The Fruit Basket, hairdressing and treatment vouchers from Strands Hairdressing, Pixies Hair Salon and Plunge Hot and Cold Therapy. Down Range Axe Throwing also donated a voucher for their recreational experience in Gosport.

Chris Davis from Gosport & Fareham Walking Rugby Team set up the Dying for a Defib appeal after Taff Crofts, a team member, saved 81 year-old David Croft’s life last July with the indoor defibrillator at the Rugby Club.

Chris said, “Fortunately, the club was open that night and the thought that David could have died, led to an urgent appeal for outdoor defibrillators.

So far, we have funded three defibrillators – outside the Rugby Club, Bayside Cabin and the Carisbrooke Arms pub. We have plans for one more and money raised from the horse racing night will buy yet another one, so we are really pleased. Thank you to Andrew, “Nobby” and other Rugby Club members for drumming up support and donating raffle prizes. The raffle raised £500, so thanks to everyone who bought tickets.”

He added “A big thanks to Jon Ward who organised the night, the fantastic food made by the staff at the Club, Vicky who ran the bar and Nick who tried to manage the three races. This event pushes our total to over £7,000 – our target is £10,000. We are postponing our charity lifeboat pull with GAFIRS on Easter Sunday as Taff, one of our players and a GAFIRS volunteer, is unwell so watch this space for a new date.

Final thanks to Amber Eaton of Employees First – a huge sponsor of the Walking Rugby Team who kindly donated a robust marquee for our festivals and charity events.”

The next big event for the Walking Rugby Team is the Annual Walking Rugby Festival on Saturday 9th May. Please come along and support this event - it will be a great day of walking rugby and fun activities, with a raffle, food, refreshments (including an outside bar) and Premiership rugby on the large TV. There is a surprise at the end - a live sing-along with Bruce.
Walking rugby teams can book their place by sending an email to gfrfc.walkingrugby@gmail.com Fee is £45 per team and Gosport and Fareham Walking Rugby Team are the current champions so they will be defending their title.

Over in Stokes Bay, local quiz master, Gary Parker hosted a charity quiz and raffle for GAFIRS at Bayside Cabin and raised £1,270. The event was sold out, with 110 people and 21 teams supporting the charity. It was a great evening and everyone enjoyed the buffet which was included in the £15 ticket price, along with a £5 donation to GAFIRS. This raised £550 alone and a further £255 was raised from crocheted items, made by a local customer and sold at the café.

Gary Parker has raised over £4,000 for GAFIRS with his quizzes – one quiz also funded an outdoor defibrillator at Bayside Cabin and his next charity quiz is on Friday 22nd May. You can book a table by phoning 02392 581426 and you can contact Gary at info@garyparker.uk

The next big event for the Walking Rugby Team is the Annual Walking Rugby Festival on Saturday 9th May. Please come along and support this event – it will be a great day of walking rugby and fun activities, with a raffle, food, refreshments (including an outside bar) and Premiership rugby on the large TV. There is a surprise at the end – a live sing-along with Bruce.

Walking rugby teams can book their place by sending an email to gfrfc.walkingrugby@gmail.com Fee is £45 per team and Gosport and Fareham Walking Rugby Team are the current champions so they will be defending their title.

Source: https://www.portsmouth.co.uk/your-world/a-really-good-friday-over-ps2400-raised-for-good-causes-in-gosport-and-fareham-6561106

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