A celebrity lunch, organised by Bedford Castle Rotary Club, still managed to raise over £16,000 despite being cancelled.
The lunch, featuring celebrity guest, Roy Walker, was due to take place on the 20 March, but with the country about to go into lockdown, a decision was taken by the fundraisers to cancel the event.
Despite this, ‘the lunch that never was’ still raised a whopping £16,100 for Keech Hospice Care.
Many of the 300 people who had booked tickets for the lunch opted to donate the ticket cost rather than take up a refund and many further donations were also received from supporters who hadn’t purchased tickets.
President Mike Salsbury said, “To raise such a large amount of money for an event that didn’t take place is just incredible and I’ve been overwhelmed by the generosity of our members, ticket holders and sponsors for their donations.
“The pandemic has hit hospices hard, so I am delighted that we were able to present a cheque to Keech Hospice Care during these difficult times.”
Charles Codrington Chairman of fundraising for the club, thanked his committee for all their efforts, especially Chris Kilroy and the team at Old Road Securities.
