Charity hospice gets £10,000 funding boost for hydrotherapy bath project thanks to the ‘incredible’ fundraising efforts of Fareham mayor

Cllr Pamela Bryant, mayor of Fareham for 2019-22, hosted the charity event at Antonio’s restaurant on West Street.

The money will support the Rowans Hospice, one of the mayor’s charities for her time in office.

She had committed a donation of £10,000 to offset the cost of a jacuzzi bath at the hospice, purchased as part of the clinical refurbishment project.

Having hit that target, the mayor presented a cheque to representatives from the hospice at the charity dinner, which itself raised £1,000 through ticket sales from the dinner and funds from a raffle.

Cllr Bryant said: ‘It was a great pleasure to have an opportunity to hold a charity evening supporting one of my mayor's charities.

‘This was made possible thanks to local restaurant Antonio’s who generously contributed from the ticket price paid and allowed a raffle and auction during the evening.

‘This gave the charity a total of £1,000 from the evening.

‘It was also possible to present a cheque for £10,000 before the meal to Ruth White from funds already held to pay for a new jacuzzi hydrotherapy bath.’

The mayor hopes to continue further fundraising in the coming months.

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Ruth White, chief executive of Rowans Hospice, said: ‘It was wonderful to attend this evening with trustees from the Rowans Hospice and other guests; the food was superb and the ambience perfect for a very warm summer’s evening.

‘We actually felt we could be in Spain!

‘The mayor and mayoress of Fareham were delightful hosts, making everyone feel so welcome and encouraging people to engage with the raffle and auction.

‘This is the third consecutive year Pamela Bryant and Louise Clubley have held office and we are overwhelmed to have been one of their chosen charities throughout this time.

‘Raising £10,000 to purchase a jacuzzi bath for our newly refurbished in-patient unit and £1,000 on the night was astounding; and especially during such challenging times and the impact this has on fundraising.

‘Their motivation, support and commitment is incredible. I was literally rendered speechless when the cheque was presented to the chairman, Dr John Watkins and myself – we really can’t thank them enough.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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