Sick Kids say they are ‘bowled over’ by Edinburgh charity effort
A BIG-hearted bowling group is in a league of its own after announcing a year-long fundraising drive for the Sick Kids Friends Foundation (SKFF) and has kick-started the partnership with a huge cash boost.
The SKFF was delighted to accept a cheque from the Edinburgh Bowling League (EBL) after a big charity push from its member clubs which raised £7777.77 during a one-day event. Additional donations received after the cheque presentation brought the total raised to an incredible £7805.74.
Members of the Edinburgh Bowling League Committee – Robert Donaldson (Parkside Bowling Club), Martin Watt (Summerside Bowling Club) and John Newall (Hillside Bowling Club) – attempted to meet a gruelling schedule.
The teams took part in a Postal Select, where they competed in a series of triples encounters at each of the 38 clubs situated around Edinburgh and Leith, and played almost continuously across 10-and-a-half hours before being treated to a well-deserved rest.
But their goodwill does not stop there – the bowling league nominated SKFF as its charity partner for 2013 and has pledged to continue fundraising until the year is out. Committee member Brian Jempson is even offering his karaoke disco services in return for a donation to the Foundation. All funds raised by the Edinburgh Bowling League will go towards SKFF, which supports the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh (RHSC).
John Newall, Edinburgh Bowling League president, said:- “My young son, Richard, was in the RHSC when he was badly burned and he received great care. I also burnt my hand badly when I was a youngster so I know what fantastic work they have always done there.
“It’s a great cause, and all the money is used in Edinburgh, which is good to know. We’re really proud of the funds that we’ve raised – it’s a great total for our bowling clubs to have put together.
“For our charity day, run in memory of the late Pat Hartman – the wife of our main sponsor, Alan Hartman of Alpha Trophies – we decided to put a sponsor sheet around all of the clubs to guess the score, and were delighted to raise a total of £7805.74. The bowling started 9am at Parkside Bowling Club and finished at my own club, Hillside, at 7.30pm. We’ve also had lots of great contributions from family and workmates, so we want to thank them as well.”
The Edinburgh Bowling League was founded in 1996 when three existing leagues came together. The object of the Edinburgh Bowling League is to provide competitive league bowling to clubs in districts 14 and 15 of The Bowls Scotland Association.
Each year the president chooses the charity recipient of the league’s fundraising, and since its inauguration, £35,000 has been raised for good causes.
Annually, the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh sees more than 100,000 children pass through its doors, and the care and attention the hospital provides is only improved by the generosity of charitable donors.
Rachel McKenzie, head of community fundraising at the Sick Kids Friends Foundation, said: “The Sick Kids Friends Foundation is hugely grateful to the Edinburgh Bowling League for making us their charity partner for 2013.
“Their recent charity day was another fantastic example of their ongoing commitment to fundraising on our behalf, and in doing so, they raised an amazing total. We also want to congratulate everyone – particularly John, Martin and Robert – for helping to complete the challenge, which took a lot of organisation and effort.
“Our aim is to make time spent in hospital and other local healthcare facilities better and less stressful for many young patients and their families. The support of the likes of EBL helps us to continue to fund extra comforts, family-friendly facilities, training and research for staff and state-of-the-art medical equipment.”
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