Over £30,000 raised by friends and family of woman who died of cancer through charity balls in Portsmouth

TENS of thousands of pounds have been raised over the last seven years thanks to the family and friends of Rachel Griffin, who sadly lost her fight with cancer in 2012.
By Hope Mckellar
Published 10th Oct 2019, 18:15 GMT
Updated 14th Oct 2019, 21:02 GMT
Andy Griffin and Becky Pratt at the Rachel Griffin Ball. The most recent Rachel Griffin ball raised nearly £7,000 for Rowans Hospice. The Rachel Griffin charity events have raised over £30,000 for local charities.Andy Griffin and Becky Pratt at the Rachel Griffin Ball. The most recent Rachel Griffin ball raised nearly £7,000 for Rowans Hospice. The Rachel Griffin charity events have raised over £30,000 for local charities.
Andy Griffin and Becky Pratt at the Rachel Griffin Ball. The most recent Rachel Griffin ball raised nearly £7,000 for Rowans Hospice. The Rachel Griffin charity events have raised over £30,000 for local charities.

The first Rachel Griffin Ball was held in 2013 and now the organisers of the event have raised over £30,000 for charities in the area.

It was set up by Rachel’s niece Becky Pratt, her husband Andy Griffin and family friends Sam Smith and Luc Semmens as a way to make her name live on.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Becky said: ‘Rachel was loved by so many people that we wanted to keep her name alive. It’s just such a huge thing, the amount of support we have from friends and family. It just wouldn’t have happened without them.’

The most recent Rachel Griffin ball raised nearly £7,000 for the Rowans Hospice. The Rachel Griffin charity events have raised over £30,000 for local charities. The most recent Rachel Griffin ball raised nearly £7,000 for the Rowans Hospice. The Rachel Griffin charity events have raised over £30,000 for local charities.
The most recent Rachel Griffin ball raised nearly £7,000 for the Rowans Hospice. The Rachel Griffin charity events have raised over £30,000 for local charities.

Most of the proceeds from the ball have been donated to the Rowans Hospice, but in previous years it has supported Football for Cancer, Macmillan Cancer Support and Naomi House and Jacksplace.

So far they have raised over £20,000 for the Rowans Hospice alone.

Becky, who works at the Rowans Hospice, said: ‘I see first hand how families and patients are affected and we all know someone whose had relatives or friends in the hospice or has been affected by cancer.’

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Rachel found out she had cancer in May 2012 and sadly passed away within two weeks of being in hospital.

Rachel Griffin and her husband Andy Griffin.Rachel Griffin and her husband Andy Griffin.
Rachel Griffin and her husband Andy Griffin.

The most recent ball was held on Saturday, October 5.

It welcomed 230 of Rachel’s friends and family along for the seventh year in a row to enjoy a three-course meal, live music from band Decades Live and to celebrate Rachel’s life.

Over £6,700 was raised on the night alone through ticket sales, an auction and raffle tickets - the most they have raised from a ball.

Several businesses came together and donated prizes and supported the night, including Blue Reef Aquarium and The Balloon Queen.

Becky plans to have raised over £40,000 by the end of the year after completing a 10-day trek across the Sahara desert with four others, including Rachel’s son at the end of November.

Related topics:Tens of thousandsRowans HospicePortsmouth

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.