Pool players across Aylesbury and the Vale have raised more than £5,000 through their 2023/24 charity partnership with the Cancer Care and Haematology Fund (CCHF).
Additionally, a further £9,750 has been donated to CCHF by the employer of an Aylesbury Invitation Pool League (AIPL) member who asked his firm to consider us under their annual charity giving scheme.
The remarkable result from AIPL was recognised at a cheque hand-over event at Aylesbury's Shoot Pool & Snooker venue earlier this month.
Mike Snell, Trustee of CCHF, commented: “This was an astonishing result by AIPL and is testament to the hard work put in by their members to support CCHF in this way over the past 12 months. I was astounded when I was first told how much AIPL had raised for us – it far exceeded all of our expectations!
“The bonus of a huge donation from RH Amar was also completely unexpected and we are so grateful for the company's clear commitment to supporting the community in which they work,” Mike added.
AIPL Internet/Media Officer James Connor said: “All of us on the AIPL committee are truly amazed at the total that the pool community has rased this season. We are all so appreciative of all the people who have put so much effort to raise money for the CCHF.”
James added: “Massive contributions from Chris, Barty and Kelly have skyrocketed the total to unprecedented heights. A big thanks also goes out to all of the people who attended our events throughout the season as well. We have all enjoyed raising money for such a great cause and the charity has been wonderful with their support throughout the season too.”
Kelly Byfield after her successful pier-to-pier swim to raise cash for CCHF
The £9,975 donation was made by RH Amar Ltd of High Wycombe, a leading full service distributor and growth partner for ambient grocery products in the UK. Since 2013, Amar has donated 10% of its profits each year to charity as part of its corporate social responsibility programme, Doing Business Better. In that time the company has donated in excess of £2m to more than 85 charities. A member of AIPL and Amar employee, Chris Eley, nominated CCHF as a charity to benefit from the scheme.
The £5,450 raised directly by AIPL through their JustGiving internet site came from a variety of fund raising events through the year. These included a pool tournament at the Dairy Maid pub, Aylesbury, that kicked the partnership off in September 2023; a music night and quizzes at the Aristocrat pub in Aylesbury; and a charity sports day at Bradmoor Farm Sports Bar, Haddenham (all proceeds were shared equally between the Bradmoor Farm Community Chest and CCHF). One AIPL member, Aylesbury hairdresser Kelly Byfield, raised £1,690 herself by swimming between Boscombe and Bournemouth piers at the end of June.
Although CCHF was originally established in 1997 to fund the building of the specialist Cancer Care and Haematology Unit at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, it has continued since to support the wonderful work that is done, not only in this unit, but also by the wider cancer and haematology service provided by Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust. You can see what CCHF does here.
Our main photo shows CCHF trustee Mike Snell, left, receiving a cheque for £9,750 from Chris Eley, right (AIPL member and employee of RH Amar Ltd), and Tristan Burtenshaw, Chairman of AIPL.
23 July 2024