THERE are 33,000 reasons why the Rainbow Centre will remember the year 2012.
The centre in Palmerston Drive, Fareham, was one of three organisations that had the huge sum of £100,000 split between them.
The Rainbow Centre, Road Rose Association in Southampton and the Wessex Cancer Trust were the chosen charities for a year-long decathlon.
The 123 Decathlon was organised by Bruce Elkins, 44, and incorporated Olympic disciplines to take place over the course of last year.
Since the final event in December, the donations and sponsors have been added up to reach the target of £100,000 that Mr Elkins set.
Jess Greenwood, community fundraiser for the Rainbow Centre, said: ‘It’s absolutely incredible.
‘It’s such a huge sum of money and is probably a once-in-a-lifetime thing for us.
‘We have to raise £500,000 a year just to keep the centre open so this will make a fantastic difference to the services we have.
‘We’re not sure what to do with the money at the moment but we have long-term plans to expand the centre so we can house more adults.’
The Rainbow Trust provides services and support for children with cerebral palsy and adults who have suffered with strokes, MS and Parkinson’s disease. It also gives help and support to their families.
Mr Elkins, 44, who thought up the idea of the 123 Decathlon, took part in all 10 events with two other men, Peter Harding, director of business Questmap Limited, and Russell Smith.
Mr Elkins, of Southampton, said: ‘We were delighted that our target was met and that the charities can get a decent chunk each.
‘It was such a difficult one and it was originally only £50,000 but right at the last minute, we thought we might as well double it and see how far we got.
‘I was overwhelmed with the amount of support we got by people. It was a remarkable year’
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