The Frome Lions held their 17th annual Sporting Charity Dinner last month at Elmhay Park, Orchardleigh.
This year’s chosen charity was the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance. A representative from the charity, Charlotte Humber, was in attendance and informed the guests that the air ambulance provides lifesaving, pre-hospital critical care to those in urgent need across Dorset and Somerset.
She said that since March 2000, the air ambulance has responded to emergencies across the region, bringing advanced medical care to patients wherever they are.
The dedicated teams include expert pilots, critical care practitioners, paramedics, nurses, and doctors, working together 19 hours a day from 7am to 2am every day of the year.
The air ambulance is funded by charitable donations. Last year, they responded to 2,909 missions, with each mission costing £3,500. Of these, 1,397 used the AW169 helicopter and critical care car, while 1,512 used their outreach cars.
There was also a special guest speaker for the night – the former England cricketer Sir Alastair Cook CBE.
Lion Mike Geake said, “He is England’s most-capped specialist Test batsman and captained the England team in 59 Tests, as well as in 69 ODIs. He is the second-highest run-scorer in Test matches for England and the youngest player to score 12,000 Test runs. He scored a record 33 Test centuries for England and is the first England player to win 50 Test matches.”
Also in attendance was chief executive officer Kevin Butcher of the Richard Oatley Foundation, who has again this year generously agreed to match-fund the amount raised by the Lions.
“The late Richard Oatley was a farmer who spent his entire life in the area and was a great supporter of charitable causes,” explained Mike. “At the end of his life, he set up the foundation in his name to support numerous well-known organisations whose work was close to his heart.
“Following an auction of donated items conducted by Martyn Hemmett, the 200 guests sat down to a splendid meal and afterwards heard an engaging talk from the guest speaker, in which he regaled them with stories of his time and experiences as an England cricketer and captain of the national side.”
At the time of going to press, the final proceeds from the event are still being finalised, but it is expected that the Lions will be able to donate at least £12,500 to the chosen charity, which will be matched by the Richard Oatley Foundation. “This means that the night will have raised the fantastic sum of £25,000 for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance charity,” says Mike.
“The Lions wish to thank all the guests for their attendance, Connor Construction (South-West) Ltd for overall sponsorship of the event, Mr Christopher Vincent and his staff for donating the use of the venue, Cooper & Tanner for sponsoring the auction, Mr Andrew Lee for compering proceedings, and Mr Martyn Hemmett for conducting the auction. Finally, the Lions thank all the companies and individuals who generously supplied items for the auction and raffle prizes, without whose generosity the event would not be possible.”
Pictured: Lion President Dan Norris and guest speaker Sir Alistair Cook CBE
