Rotary Club of Ascot

PRESS RELEASE – 26^th June 2006

Communications & Press officer Ian Valentine ian@cival.info

Public Relations Beverley Williams 01344 874300

Win – Win – Win during Royal Ascot week

The race course was not the only place to find winners last week in Ascot. Budgens the supermarket in Ascot High Street offered a major part of their multi-storey car park to raise funds from race goers for Thames Hospicecare during the week.

However, Susan Trendell, Fund Raiser with Thames Hospicecare faced a dilemma of how to handle the management of parking race goers whilst still enabling Budgens’ customers to continue with their daily shopping. A call to The Rotary Club of Ascot’s president found the necessary volunteers. From Tuesday through Saturday some 25 members of the Rotary Club of Ascot manned the car park, and helped to raise almost £5,000 for this very worthwhile local cause. This was at least £600 higher than the wildest estimates if every space were sold every day, due to the generosity of many race goers who made additional donations.

Alan Penny, president of the Rotary Club of Ascot said “Our members at very short notice fully lived up to Rotary’s founding motto of ‘Service above Self’ and, with excellent help from Budgens’ staff, increased the awareness of the local hospice movement”. He paid tribute to the support provided by Tom Orford, the store’s manager, and Geraldine Renolds who worked tirelessly throughout the week.

Altogether, a winning week for Thames Hospicecare, Budgens on Ascot High Street., and the Rotary Club of Ascot.

Left to right: Mark Toogood (Assistant Manager) and Tom Orford (store manager) of Budgens, Ascot High Street, and Alan Penny, President of the Rotary Club of Ascot.