A GALA dinner, held in Worcester Cathedral, raised £40,000 for St Richard’s Hospice.

The Cathedral was transformed into a breathtaking setting for dining for 200 guests.

Louise Hewett, the outgoing High Sheriff of Worcestershire and a patron of St Richard’s Hospice, welcomed everyone to the evening to celebrate 40 years of service which St Richard’s has given to the community.

Malvern was well represented, with local resident Dan Pallett, BBC Midlands Today reporter and sports presenter, acting as host and Philip Serrell, the Malvern auctioneer and television personality, auctioning 17 lots lots which contributed about £12,000 to the total funds raised. The Mayor of Malvern, Coun Clive Hooper, whose nominated charity for the year is St Richard’s, was also present.

Coun Hooper said: “I was greatly impressed by the event. The setting for the dinner in the Cathedral was amazing and the results from the raffle and the auction were truly inspiring. It costs more than £10 million a year to run the hospice, which includes patient care and all the necessary support services, and St Richard’s has to rely on voluntary support including from donations, gifts and legacies, and retail and events for the majority of its income. Less than a quarter of the annual funding required is from the NHS.

“I am pleased that, by nominating St Richard’s as my Mayoral charity, I am able to play a small part in raising money for the hospice. We had a very enjoyable Sunday lunch at St Richard’s in February this year raising over £2,300, and the ever-popular annual Mayor’s Peaks Challenge will be taking place on Saturday, May 4, with application forms for that available from the Malvern Town Council website, www.malvern-tc.org. With a choice of a shorter or a longer walk to do, I hope lots of people will sign up and pay for a place, even if they have second thoughts about doing it later!”

Coun Hooper said that he was looking forward to seeing as many people as possible come to the Town Council’s Civic Service on Saturday, April 20, at 3pm at Christchurch in Avenue Road, Malvern, and he extends an open invitation to everyone to attend. The theme of the service will be community engagement and the contribution which local groups and individuals can and do make to that will be recognised and celebrated. Refreshments will be provided.

Tricia Cavell, fund-raising director at St Richard’s Hospice, said: “We are so very grateful to everyone who made our Grand Gala Dinner such a success for St Richard’s Hospice in its 40th year.

“The funds raised by this event, hosted by our Patron Louise Hewett, will help us continue to care for patients, their families, and bereaved people into the future.

“It was a pleasure to welcome so many supporters on the evening, including Coun Hooper. We are grateful to him for choosing St Richard’s as his Mayoral charity, and for raising funds for our care.”

[