raycollins

Early January, the Ray Collins Charitable Trust were contacted by the Wantage Independent Advice Centre. They wanted to know if we could help a mother and son struggling to take advantage of a mobility bungalow that had been allocated to them.

Trustees assessed the application and voted unanimously to help out. We set aside £1600 to redecorate the bungalow and purchase necessary appliances.

Several weeks earlier, the son had slipped into a diabetic coma which starved his brain of oxygen and left him brain damaged. He has also had other medical issues, resulting in a tracheotomy which has left him prone to infections.

A long road to recovery awaits this determined 47 year old man, learning to walk and talk again. With very little in funds and little support, there was no way for them to carry out the work required on the property.

Trustees Ray and Phil joined several volunteers for an amazing week transforming an empty shell of a bungalow into a warm, clean, fresh family home.

A lovely lady and her son now have a beautiful home to aid the sons recovery and help her care for him. Hopefully all our efforts will have a positive effect on his health and recovery.

Rolling up our sleeves

Every room has had walls, ceilings, doors and woodwork painted, new flooring carpets & tiles, an amazing New York Skyline hung in the son’s bedroom and a brand new 60cm electric cooker, large fridge freezer and washer dryer installed in the kitchen.

We used water based satinwood paint to keep the paint fumes to a minimum, as the son has breathing difficulties and we didn’t want to cause any issues for him.

After the last brushstrokes and the last carpet fitted, we cleaned the house throughout with an antibacterial spray on windows, kitchen cupboards, window sills, plug sockets, and flooring and steam mopped the hallway, bathroom and kitchen flooring.

A massive thank you to Alan and Maggie Hale who started a week before, filling and sanding all the walls and woodwork and then painting all the ceilings. For a couple of pensioners they worked tirelessly with great fun, energy and enthusiasm. We can’t thank them enough.

Ray Collins, Phil Tynan of Phil’s Home Improvements, Lyndsey Champ and Crystal Hutchins joined Alan and Maggie to magnolia every room and paint all the doors and woodwork.

The mural was put up: a tricky operation made look easy by Phil. Lyndsey joined the gang again on Friday, with second and third coats added to the walls. And carpets and tiles were starting to be laid in the hall.

The final day was mainly snagging, cleaning and tidying up, as the usual suspects were joined by friend of the Trust Karen Goodchild.

Specials thanks to Andrew Ledbury, owner of Peter B Ledbury Ltd, LJ & CA Cannings and Phil Tynan of Phil’s Home Improvements.

Chris Roche, owner of Blind Interiors, very kindly donated and fitted new blinds in the kitchen and bathroom.

And with that, the keys went back to the family for them to enjoy their new home.

“I really enjoy these projects”, said Ray Collins. “Everyone benefits from them. Strangers come together and become friends through hard work, fun and banter – whilst helping amazing people who end up with an amazing home. Win! Win! Win! Roll on the next one.”

Christmas Day is a time for family, fun and indulgence. But for many living in isolation it’s just another day!

Well, it used to be, but not for those who live in and around Wantage. Thanks to The Ray Collins Charitable Trust, over fifty local people living in isolation spent Christmas Day together with over twenty volunteers from the Trust and Grove RFC.

After the very sad closure of the Wantage Health and Wellbeing Centre last September, Ray Collins moved the Christmas Day Dinner to Grove RFC.

All the guests were picked up between 10-11am by the Trust’s volunteer drivers and dropped off at Grove RFC. On arrival everyone was seated and volunteers brought them their beverage of choice.

A special thanks to the Harvey family, Mrs Austen and trustee Mel Breakspear who sat and chatted with our dinner guests to ease a few nerves.

At 12pm dinner was served:
– Homemade Tomato and Red Pepper soup
– Turkey and Beef Dinner with all the trimmings
– Xmas pudding or choice of sponge & custard
– Cheese & Crackers
– Tea, coffee, soft drinks and sherry

All the Grove RFC ladies who volunteered to serve our guests were fantastic, friendly and engaging. Nothing was too much trouble. Everyone went home stuffed full, happy and with huge beaming smiles.

As an added treat, all the dinner guests left with a box of chocolates kindly donated by Ultra Home Services.

After the meal Ray explained to the guests how over five cold weekends more than thirty volunteers collected 4000 items! These 22 trolley loads of goodies were donated by Waitrose customers, to make the hampers all the Trust’s Christmas dinner guests received.

Another thirty volunteers counted and sorted all the items and made the hampers: 127 in total.

Most went to individuals via the local Police team, The October Club and the dinner guests. But for the first time, twenty-five hampers went to local families.

All the guests enjoyed great food, great service, great company and a great big hamper to take home.

Musicians from the Wantage Silver Band popped along to play carols, which just added more Christmas magic to what was a perfect day.

Grove RFC players past and present turned up and carried hampers to the cars for our guests.

Afterwards, Ray Collins said, “What a totally inspiring Xmas Day we have all had at Grove Rugby Club today. This is our fourth Christmas Dinner for this amazing group of people. Thanks to Chris McCarthy, chairman of the club, and deputy Mayor Roger Williams, and all the members at the club for not only allowing us to use their club but for paying for the food and drinks along with Grove Tesco’s enabling us to keep this meal free to all the guests.”

“Everyone at The club went above and beyond today. Phil Connolly and his team of cooks worked tirelessly to produce a magnificent four course dinner.”

Testimonials from our dinner guests

“Best Christmas Dinner I’ve ever had” ~ Darren

“Delicious food and such lovely friendly people. Thank you very much, Mr Collins and all your team” ~ Iris

“I’m so full I won’t be able to move for a week. Absolutely loved the whole day. Thank you everyone involved” ~ Elizabeth.

“I’ve had a lovely day, a lovely meal and a good talk with some lovely ladies. It’s certainly better than sitting at home alone.” ~ Harry

Thank you

“It’s always a bit daunting moving venues, especially one that has served us so well. But going to Grove Rugby Club has been one of the best decisions we have ever made. I can’t wait until Easter now!” said Ray.

A huge thank you to all the wonderful drivers Will Harvey, Sarah Crayford, Giles Bedford, Roddy Bedford, John Durban, Russell Stock, Mrs Stock, Paul Belcher, Emma Ralson, Les & Jan Bury and Barry Steers for all their hard work.

A massive thank you to Day and Night Assistance, Tesco Grove, Grove RFC, Waitrose Wantage, Peter B Ledbury Ltd, Costcutter Rowes, Acorn Timber, PR Building Services, Progressive Physiotherapy and Challow & Childrey Cricket club, and all our wonderful volunteers who made this year’s dinner and hamper appeal another huge success.

Between all the individual hampers, family hampers and the dinner, nearly 300 local people’s Christmas has been significantly improved. And if that isn’t a merry Christmas, I don’t know what is!

We are here to make a real difference in our community and with your continued support we definitely do.

On Friday 27th October, The Ray Charitable Trust took 23 disadvantaged families (86 people) on an outing to Cotswold Wildlife Park. The Trust hired a double-decker bus, paid for the entry tickets and provided lunch vouchers of £15 per person for all the group.

Ray had been in contact with local primary schools who nominated families that would benefit the most from the outing.

A beautiful day was forecast and with not a cloud in the sky but a slight chill in the air Trustees Ray Collins, Melanie Breakspear, Matthew Donaldson and Laura Beale arrived at the bus stop in Wantage Market place just before 9am. They began checking families on to the bus, while some families had arrived early and were having breakfast before eagerly boarding the bus ready for a great day out.

Once at the park, regular Trust volunteer Nigel Brady took a group photo before trustees handed each family their lunch vouchers for the day. The families then headed off into the park to spend quality time together, having fun and not having to worry about the expense of the day.

Like all the families, the trustees spent the day enjoying the park and meeting up with the families as they walked around. Nigel carried on taking some stunning pictures around the park and of the families, a selection of which you can see in this blog post.

All of the families had a fantastic day out spending quality time together as a family – a luxury they would not have been able to afford in these tough economic times.

“Today’s trip was one of my proudest days to date,” Ray Collins said. “Growing up in a low income family, holidays were quite scarce and days out provided by a local Sunday school gave us some great memories. Seeing all these families, and especially the children, enjoying themselves so much has really made the day so very special and one I’ll never forget. Seeing so many smiles on so many faces, young and old, just made it the perfect day.”

Comments from some of the children and parents:

“Best day out ever”

“All the animals are just brilliant”

“Thanks guys. My kids had a lovely day as did I. It was lovely to meet you all and you were all brilliant with the kids. It must’ve been a pain to organise, so I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving us the opportunity to go with you! What you do is so selfless and I can see you all enjoy giving to people to help them out and that’s unfortunately a rare quality nowadays!” (Daniel Metcalfe)

“Me and my son would not of been able to have this day without your kindness and hard work, cannot thank you enough. People need to follow in your footsteps I’d say and be a lot kinder. Goes a long way.” (Carrie Wilkins)

“I really loved Cotswold, thank you Ray Collins Trust”

The Trust paid all the costs of £2,600 and are planning to make this an annual event for families in need in the Wantage area. Although the destination may change, with some asking to go to the seaside next time.

On Thursday 6th July, Trustees from The Ray Collins Charitable Trust took thirty local elderly and vulnerable people who live in isolation on a day trip to Blenheim Palace, together with eleven volunteers.

Trustees Ray and Laura were first to arrive in Wantage Market Place. Volunteer drivers had already been dispatched to collect twenty less mobile guests.

A 49-seater coach from Walters Coaches arrived at 9.30am as more guests arrived on foot. A small group from Stirlings Elderly Care Home also joined the day trip with carers.

Ray checked guests and volunteers off his list as they arrived. Extra wheelchairs were loaded into the luggage compartment of the coach in case they were needed later in the day, along with several walking frames belonging to the guests. Once everyone was on board, the coach left the Market Place just before 10am.

When the coach arrived at Blenheim, Ray paid the entry fees for our coach party to tour the spectacular palace and fantastic gardens. Afternoon tea had also been ordered for all and had been paid for a week earlier by the Trust. The day out had cost £1,600 and was paid for by the Trust with the help of an amazing donation from Day and Night Assistance, a local firm who care for the elderly.

Ray handed everyone their tickets and told the group that tea was booked for 1.30pm in the Marlborough room. The more mobile group members split into groups and headed off to the Palace. Ray, Laura and volunteers pushed the less mobile members in wheelchairs.

The Palace tour took around ninety minutes and left everyone speechless. Stunning tapestries, paintings and national treasures filled every room. The Winston Churchill exhibition was very popular with the group, with two of the ladies providing their own insights and memories into the Churchill years bringing the tour to life even more.

After a brief look at the gardens, everyone met at the Marlborough room for a splendid afternoon tea. Fresh scones, macaroons, finger sandwiches, citrus tarts, coffee cake, citrus fancies, tea and coffee were enjoyed and devoured by all. The Trust had also arranged for gluten-free treats for three coeliac guests.

After tea groups split off to the gardens, fountains and gift shop with everyone meeting up at 4pm to catch the coach back home.

Drivers were waiting for the coach when it arrived back in Wantage. All the day trippers were very hot and tired, but all were very grateful for a wonderful day out.

“We all had the most fantastic day,” Ray said. “The weather was perfect, although some felt the heat. But everyone had a great time. The Palace tour was incredible, especially with our two very own tour guides in wheelchairs giving us a unique insight into their experiences of the war as we went around. The food was amazing as was the company and atmosphere with everyone chatting and laughing and just enjoying themselves which made the day even more special.”

Days like these are how we continue to keep “making a real difference in our community”.

Imagine the sweet sound of bird song, the warm rays of early morning sunshine across King Alfred’s statue, the chiming of the church bells and the light footsteps of a keen dog-walker across the market square. A scene you could easily imagine on a beautiful summer Sunday morning.

Not however on Sunday 11 June!

Instead at 6.45am, the excited chatter of Trustees could be heard setting up the road closure barriers and erecting the Trust stand which would be their base for the day.

Soon they were joined in the Market Square by a procession of fairground vehicles which quickly set up their rides, stalls and attractions like a well-oiled machine, ready to entertain the families of Wantage at this year’s carnival.

Stall holders began arriving and setting up over the next couple of hours. Despite being a beautiful sunny morning, the breeze did prove challenging when assembling gazebos and securing banners but in true community spirit, everyone helped each other out to get the job done with kind words and laughter.

By 11.00am the market was buzzing with activity, music and wonderful smells as the people of Wantage strolled into the heart of their community to meet family, friends and neighbours for an afternoon of fun and entertainment.

The carnival was officially opened at 12.00 by The Mayor of Wantage, Steve Trinder, who along with the Town Cryer, lead a procession around the Square comprising a number of vintage cars, troops of scouts and the Rock Choir.

The musical entertainment was opened by The White Lakes. Throughout the course of the day five local bands and the Oxford Rock Choir entertained the crowds, all bringing their own unique style and flavour to proceedings.

The Rock Choir proved incredibly popular as their infectious smiles and cheery disposition spread to everyone who saw or heard them. These ladies’ voices lifted the crowds as adults and children alike sang and danced along to the popular tunes, enjoying the unity and sense of community shared by these wonderful women.

Dotted around the Square were various food and drink stalls to suit all tastes and appetites from candyfloss to cheesy balls, kebabs to frozen yoghurt, mead to prosecco. The aroma of al fresco cooking tempted most to part-take in a morsel or two as they sashayed between the stalls admiring the wares, getting themselves henna tattooed or having their hand cast in wax.

During the course of the day, Trustees and Friends of the Trust wrote names on over 1300 raffle tickets as folk were drawn to the first prize of a dishwasher (or was it the chocolate or alcohol hamper they really craved?!). Eight fabulous prizes were won thanks to generous donations by local businesses.

Lenny’s Lizards proved popular as ever, attracting many to admire and handle the stunning reptiles brought along by Steve. Adults and children alike posed for photos with snakes and lizards, many overcoming deep-seated irrational fears or achieving a lifetime ambition. Donations were collected to support the rescue centre and the wonderful work they do with these enchanting creatures.

Excited squeals resounded across the Square as children bounced and somersaulted on the bungee trampolines, braved the haunted house and tried their skills at Tin Can Alley.

A group of students from King Alfred’s lead by Ellie Mae Smith held a dance Flashmob in aid of child mental health and in memory of their friend who sadly took her own life last year. The group raised an impressive £175 and brought tears to many eyes and the loudest cheers of the day.

More wheelchair users were able to attend the carnival this year, thanks to the Mobiloo, paid for by Wantage Town Council. This was the first event in Oxfordshire to hire the unit and thanks to its success, the Council has now committed a budget to ensure it is available at all future public events in the town.

By 6pm the crowds were thinning out as children were taken home for baths and bed after a fun and tiring afternoon in the fresh air. Stalls were disassembled and packed away in readiness for the next event as Trustees thanked everyone for their continued support.

The Square was clear by 9pm as the Trustees and volunteers reflected on the achievements of the day. The Carnival had brought everyone together, several generations of the same families enjoying the attractions and sharing valuable quality time with their loved ones, providing a well-deserved break from the rat race.

Without the help and support of their volunteers (Friends of the Trust), these events would not be possible. Giving up an hour or two of their time, these generous souls make all the difference, enabling the Trust to create successful events which raise much needed funds for their causes.

The day cost £3500 and after costs raised just under £6000 for the Trust – money which will be used to support local families and individuals in need or in isolation in our community.

The carnival was only possible once again thanks to the amazing support from local businesses who all featured in the carnival programme.

Special thanks to Specsavers Wantage, LJ&CA Cannings, Douglas Simmonds, Ultra Home Services, In Fine Spirits, Paul Pieri, Peter B Ledbury Ltd, KA Fitness, The Fitness Space and the Wantage Town Council to name a few.

Planning is already under way to make next year’s carnival bigger and better.

The majority of the crowd left saying best carnival ever, fantastic bands, stalls, funfair and an amazing atmosphere all day, ignited by the awesome Rock Choir who were the perfect way to start the carnival proceedings.

It’s so pleasing for all of the team to see all their hard work come to fruition and enhanced by the weather made it the perfect day. We cannot wait for next year already!

Stirlings is a 40-capacity care home located in Garston Lane, Wantage, providing care for adults diagnosed with dementia or with a physical disability. They rely heavily on voluntary sector contributions and strong local links to allow vulnerable adults to achieve a more dignified lifestyle.

The Home is fortunate enough to have vast gardens, but with no funding for a gardener, the grounds have remained neat and tidy but sadly lacking in colour, fragrance and wildlife.

Laura Beale, a Trustee of The Ray Collins Charitable Trust, is hairstylist for residents and visits Stirlings weekly. She was aware that staff and families of residents had been fundraising in order to improve the gardens. But it was slow going and they were unlikely to have sufficient funds to make much impact this side of the summer.

The Ray Collins Charitable Trust exists to support and enhance the lives of lonely, isolated and vulnerable members of our community, so Laura proposed the garden makeover as a perfect project for the Trust, which was unanimously supported by the Committee.

Local businesses chip in

Using local business contacts, the Trust managed to secure a fantastic deal with Acorn Timber for 40 treated sleepers.

Mattingley Ltd Grab Hire donated 10 tonnes of top soil.

Charlton Garden Centre gave generous discount on plants and shrubs.

And Phil’s Home Improvements designed and built the raised beds free of charge.

Sustainable Wantage also kindly donated some plants, bird boxes and bug houses.

Garden makeovers are hard work

Starting on Thursday 11th May, Ray and a number of volunteers began the thankless and back-breaking task of digging out and preparing the various areas of the garden, ready for planting. The ground had not been worked for many years, so it was very heavy work with lots of roots, rocks and clay to clear.

The sleepers arrived on Saturday and were moved into position one by one by Phil Tynan, Phil Cox and Steve Penney as the three raised beds took shape. By the end of the day, they were complete: 4 or 5 beds had been dug out and various planters stripped out ready to be re-filled.

The workers retired for a well-earned rest, before the fun began again on Sunday. Over the course of the weekend, 30 volunteers including Steve Trinder, Mayor of Wantage, and several children, put in hours of hard graft to transform Stirlings’ bare grounds into a flourishing plethora of flora and fauna to the delight of staff and residents.

The mountain of top soil was moved wheel barrow load by wheel barrow load to the various beds and compost dug in to provide the perfect fertile environment for the new foliage to thrive.

People coming together

Throughout the weekend, residents ventured out to observe the activity and chat to the volunteers, particularly the children, whilst Lisa Ball and the staff kept Trustees and volunteers plied with food and drinks to keep them going!

Under the expert guidance of Lyndsay Champ and Jenny Church, the raised beds were planted with low-maintenance purple and white perennials and colourful bedding plants, interspersed with plum-coloured shale to deter weed growth. Fruit and vegetable patches were created with a fabulous selection of strawberries, lettuce, peppers, tomatoes, gooseberries, rhubarb, carrots and raspberries. A fragrant herb garden was designed for maximum sensory stimulation with mint, rosemary, lavender, thyme and parsley.

Stirlings already had a few tired benches in the garden. With a little TLC, these were soon rubbed down and painted to provide an instant splash of colour on which residents and their families can sit and enjoy the splendid surroundings.

Our hopes for the future

It is hoped that with further donations, Stirlings will be able to acquire some patio furniture to enable more people to benefit from the beautiful gardens.

Charlton School donated some bird boxes and bug houses, so it is hoped that this project will build further ties between Stirlings and the school, which will benefit the children, parents, teachers and residents as they interact over a shared fascination in nature.

The new garden has stimulated much interest amongst residents and their families, so it is hoped that others will take an active interest in maintaining the beds, perhaps setting up a gardening club or rota to keep them weed-free and tidy.

Trustees and volunteers were rightly proud of the finished effect, but it won’t stop here. They intend to return later in the year to plant bulbs and seeds in the wooded area ready for next Spring.

On Easter Sunday 16th April, Ray met three cooks at the Wantage Health & Wellbeing Centre at 7am to get over 10kg of topside beef in the ovens ready for The Ray Collins Charitable Trusts Easter dinner.

Waitrose Wantage contributed £348 towards the dinner through their green token scheme, with the trust paying for the rest. This enabled forty-six local lonely elderly and vulnerable people to enjoy a fantastic meal, fantastic company and fantastic entertainment.

Trustees and volunteers decorated the centre on Good Friday with balloons, Easter bunting, set the tables with wonderful flower decorations from Hazel Stanyon and purchased all the food and drink for Sunday’s dinner.

Volunteers then made up the Easter egg parcels, so all the guests had more of a surprise to take home: not just a wonderful egg, but some lovely treats as well.

At 10.15am volunteer drivers and trustees began picking up the dinner guests. As each person arrived, they were seated and given a drink of their choice.

At 12.30pm dinner was served: roast topside beef with all the trimmings, followed by apple pie and custard. All of which was consumed with glee by the hungry guests and volunteers who all sat together enjoying their meal and each other’s company. We also delivered three dinners and eggs to people who were too poorly to attend the dinner.

At 1pm local folk band Shotgun Weather Ferret arrived and played a medley of toe tapping tunes which thoroughly entertained the crowd.

The Mayor popped in and sat chatting to many of the guests to their great joy as many had never met him before. The mayor’s wife Julia Trinder and their children Ellie and Daniel had handed out Easter cards to all the guests and helped get drinks for them.

Just after 2pm the trustees brought out Easter eggs parcels for all the guests, containing a large egg, shortbread biscuits, mini eggs, marshmallows, Easter bunnies, ginger bread men, coconut macaroons and more.

Trustees and volunteers then took everyone home while the remaining helpers tidied up the centre and cleaned the kitchen with everyone home and finished by 3.30pm.

Thank you so much to Tanja Salter, Michelle Church, Castel Fairlie, Tim Waite, Katie Buckingham, Karen England, Fiona Frost, April Moore, Laura Beale, Johnny Jenkin, Shelley Breakspear, Hazel Stanyon and Robert Huffnagle for all their help on Good Friday.

Thank you also to Castel Fairlie, Tracey, Karen England, Anna Byrom, Jan Taylor, Oliver Taylor, John Durban, Robert Huffnagle, Peter Williams, Chris May, Tracy Wilson, Ian Matthew Donaldson, April Moore, Jo Dickie, Julia Trinder, Ellie & Daniel, Steve Trinder, Ema Ralson, Daniel & Jasper Edwards and Waitrose Wantage for all helping at Sunday’s Easter dinner.

Another fantastic event by The Ray Collins Charitable Trust helping 46 local elderly and vulnerable people living in isolation.

All through March, The Ray Collins Charitable Trust and friends of the trust were collecting Easter eggs in Waitrose Wantage for all the local day centres, Fitzwaryn school, The Children’s Hospital at the JR, Sobell House and for elderly and vulnerable people living in isolation.

In total the trustees and volunteers collected 850 eggs! Approx. £2,000 worth, which is a staggering amount. All the trustees would like to thank the staff and amazing customers in Waitrose for their continued help and support.

A huge thank you to Sarah Lewis Tynan and Adam Tynan, Tracey, Sarah Crayford, Julia Trinder and Ellie, Karen England, Susan Thwaite, Paula-Jane Dean, Jan Taylor, Georgina Hicks, Jacqui Allen, Stuart Game and Daisy Game and Wendy Stimpson for giving up your time and helping with this fantastic effort and to Lisa Henry for her sorting and stacking skills and stacking skills.

They say nothing in life is guaranteed, but I guarantee we will see 850 massive smiles on some of the most deserving and very special people’s faces aged from new-borns to 100+.

Together we are making a real difference in our community.

Life always gives you an opportunity to make someone smile.

Trustees made up six Easter egg parcels for Maria Curtis, her siblings and her mum Minnie. Maria is looking so much better than she did at Christmas, when she spent several days in hospital.

Her kidney is functioning better but still a long way to go. All the Trustees wish Minnie, Maria and all the family a very Happy Easter and an we will continue to monitor Maria’s progress and help where we can.

Trustees delivered hundreds of eggs to The October Club, Wantage Health & Wellbeing Centre, The Charlton Centre for adults with special needs, Stirling’s Elderly Care Home, Grove Day Centre, Beatbox youth club children with special needs, Fitzwaryn School, all wards at the Children’s Hospital at the JR and children’s A&E and Sobell House.

Ray and Phil visited the Children’s Hospital. Several patients were thrilled with their chocolatey surprise, none more than little Connor who is recovering from a serious head operation. How big is that smile!

The trust also purchased a brand new fridge freezer for Sweatbox youth club after theirs failed and couldn’t be repaired economically. Ray and Kate delivered the fridge freezer along with Easter eggs for Beatbox.

Thank you to all who donated your generosity and kindness made this possible.

Happy Easter!

What is Blingo, you may ask. When Ray Collins first brought the idea to our September Committee meeting, none of us had heard of it either. He had come across the concept by chance and thought we could develop the idea: a ladies only event where they get their posh frocks and sparkliest jewellery out to play a few games of bingo. And so the seed was sown!

Despite the fact Tracy had never played bingo in her life, she immediately volunteered herself to lead this project and set about creating a night the ladies of Wantage would be talking about for months.

Blingo rapidly developed a life of its own and before we knew it we were arranging an event for up to 170 people, playing 13 games of bingo, making 1200 canapés, serving 30 bottles of Prosecco, amassing over 30 donated prizes, inflating 90 balloons and applying baby oil to the bare chests of 12 topless waiters!

February was our target month – something to look forward to after the January blues. The Beacon was the venue of choice for the scale and type of event we were hosting. So 17 February was pencilled in the diary before Christmas and a teaser post put out on Facebook to whet the appetite of our target audience.

The response was unbelievable! Never had we had more views on a post and groups of up to 10 people were already asking to reserve tickets.

We decided this was going to be a quality event with lots of glitz and sparkle, so who better to be our main sponsor than Peter Casey Jewellers? They very kindly agreed to support the event and donated a number of beautiful pieces that we could use as bingo prizes, including the jackpot prize of a beautiful pendant necklace.

This was no time to be shy and retiring. Each of the Trustees tapped up their friends/family/colleagues/acquaintances for classy raffle prizes and as always we were astounded by the generosity of local businesses and individuals as the donations came rolling in.

Terry, the Trust’s ever-faithful catering partner, agreed to create over 1,000 amuse bouche, with which our cheeky waiters would tease the appetites of our hungry ladies. This is no mean feat and I’m still not sure we’ll ever be forgiven for that challenge!

Rapidly the big day approached, the anticipation grew. And the panic set in. What if our waiters let us down at the final hurdle? We’d have a riot on our hands! Our ladies had paid good money to be served canapés by topless men, so topless men we must provide!

Many different tactics, angles, friendly threats and powers of persuasion were employed to finally secure the services of a dozen local guys who voluntarily gave up their Friday night to parade themselves around for the pleasure of our eager ladies.

So the big day finally arrived and after much balloon attaching, chair covering, bow tying, table laying and prize displaying, we were ready to welcome the ladies of Wantage.

And they certainly didn’t let us down! A host of beautiful women aged 18 to 85 began filling the bar as individual flair and personality was showcased through an amazing array of glamorous outfits of every imaginable colour.

Each received a welcome glass of bubbly and excited chatter soon filled the bar, quickly followed by giggles of delight as the waiters started mingling between the guests with platters of canapés.

Raffle tickets and bingo dabbers were purchased as all 170 highly animated women moved through the bar to the main hall, where everyone was seated with anticipation by 8pm.

Tracy welcomed everyone to the event and after thanking the long list of donors and helpers, the room fell silent as the serious business of bingo began.

Tuxedo-clad Matt expertly lead bingo proceedings. One by one the winning cards were checked by Laura and the fabulous prizes awarded to much whooping and applause. One table brought a secret supply of miniature rubber ducks which were pelted at the stage each time Matt called 22 “two little ducks”, much to the amusement of the room!

Six games in, a break was called to allow guests to recharge their glasses and the waiters to peddle their wares. Slightly more lubricated (both in terms of alcohol and baby oil!), the waiters were far more relaxed by now and were enjoying the attention from the ladies as they navigated the tables and posed for photos.

Bingo re-commenced with a further six winners, followed by the jackpot game when the winner, Louise Carr, was carried to the stage by several waiters to collect the star prize.

One very special guest, June Brown, was celebrating her 85th birthday at Blingo, so of course we had to make a fuss of her on this momentous occasion! Much to her embarrassment, she was presented with a beautiful cake and flowers by the waiters, making her feel spoilt on her special day.

Raffle tickets had been on sale throughout the evening, so while the waiters tempted the ladies with sweet treats, Ray drew the raffle. Each of the 15 winners was escorted by a waiter to collect amazing prizes donated by our community including a half day Spa Experience, Pamper Hamper and Chocolate Hamper.

Once the final prize had been collected, Tracy asked the waiters to assemble at the front of the stage so guests could show their appreciation. She thanked everyone for coming and making the event such a success. Guests were invited to fill the dance floor as the disco began.

As soon as the music started, everyone was on their feet and dancing. Many of the waiters joined the ladies on the dance floor, as the Trustees marvelled at the intoxicating atmosphere. It was a scene to behold and one that would be reflected on many times in the days to come.

Gradually the numbers dwindled as sore feet carried tired, exhilarated ladies home from what had been a fun-filled evening for all.

Midnight arrived as the lights went up on Blingo 2017. Trustees, helpers and Beacon staff disassembled the hall and returned it to its original state. Still buzzing from the positive comments and amazing feedback received, we departed with weary smiles of satisfaction at a job well done.