It was standing room only at a charity darts match that raised more than £8,000 for the oncology department at Peterborough City Hospital.
The seventh annual cancer charity darts fun day took place at the GER Sports Club in March and organisers said “the response was amazing.
Mark Cross said: “When all auction lots are paid for and all monies are in we will have made a profit in the region of £8,200.
“This is the highest amount of money raised at any of the charity days. All of the profit will be donated to the Oncology Department at Peterborough City Hospital.
“This will mean that in the last seven years, we have donated £44,500.”
Almost 100 people played darts and many more crammed in to support the event and enjoy the tombola, draw and auction.
So far these darts events have bought:
• Ultrasound machine in the chemotherapy department.
• Comfortable chairs to enhance the treatment of both chemotherapy and radiotherapy patients.
• Training courses for nurses who work in the oncology department.
• Cancer research has been funded on a local level.
• Two sky ceilings for the Linear Accelerator bunkers to give patients a view of the summer sky while lying on their backs for prolonged periods of time.
• An ECG machine.
• A radiotherapy trials radiographer, so that they can improve their recruitment into radiotherapy clinical trials.
Mark said: “I cannot thank all those enough who supported the event and the many people who donated wonderful items on the day.
“Special mention must go to my mum and dad, Ann and Dick Cross and Bill and Margaret Turvey who sold draw tickets all day and who worked tirelessly securing draw prizes.
“Both couples celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversaries in recent months and neither couple asked for gifts. My Mum and Dad asked guests at their party to donate to the charity and raised £755.
“Bill and Margaret did the same and raised £200.
“My nan, Jackie Healey, who donated nearly the entirety of the tombola prizes and made over £300 on the day with able assistance from Shirley Moores, Andrew Youles, Paul Wright, Neil Collins, Craig Gilpatrick, Tony Barnes and Lorraine Barnes and all of the GER Committee and bar staff for their continued support.
“I couldn’t do the day without the love and support of my wonderful wife Kim and my son’s Ryan and Nathan. Many local businesses generously donated draw prizes including March Quality Meats, Stotts Fish Restaurant, Malletts Jewellers, Cassanos, Storeys Arts and Crafts, Tesco Express, Brian Tweed Family Butchers, Upwell, Paninis, Boots, Haart Estate Agents and Tesco (Hostmoor).
“An abundance of draw prizes were donated by the One Stop, The Causeway, March.
“Smurfit Kappa sponsored several of the auction lots by donating £400, as did Townsend Angling Club who donated £300. Ladies at ‘Fun with Flowers’ at March Conservative Club donated £170 to the cause.
“Many, many thanks to all of my board sponsors: GER Hot Shotz darts team, The Sportsman, Chatteris; Darren Wojtowych Garden Services; Nigel Searle; Monica Stonham; Neil & Cath Collins; Andrew Youles Chartered Accountant & Jeremy Furnell (Pellucid Mortgages).”
Darts winners on the day were:
• Cricket Triples winners: Bob Foster; Kevin Cooper & Lewis Day; Runners-up: Paul Wenn, Paul Newstead & Joanne Anderson.
• Pairs winners: Terry Redhead & Kevin Hill; Runners-up: Tim Fulcher & Joe Brown.
• Youth singles champion: Liam Moore; Runner-up: Lewis Day.
• Singles champion: Robert Doncaster; Runner-up: Adam Roper.
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