NOTTINGHAM businesses rallied together recently to help raise over £300 for the charity SportsAid, which supports local athletes by providing them with financial help.
Nelsons Solicitors, Yorkshire Bank, Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club and AdamsonJones all sponsored the charity lunch which took place at Trent Bridge on Friday 26 June.
62 people attended the lunch in total and a fantastic £370 was raised for the worthy cause through a raffle and donations.
Geoff Waller, representative for SportsAid in the East Midlands, said the help that the charity has received thanks to the lunch was excellent “SportsAid is delighted with the continued support from its sponsors in helping talented young athletes from Nottingham fulfil their sporting dreams.
“These lunches help to raise the profile of the charity and provide funding for young, local sports people at the same time.
“The charity aims to help those aged between 12 and 18 who could eventually be future Olympic or Paralympic champions. We provide funding at grass-roots level where talented youngsters may not necessarily qualify for National Lottery funding.”
The lunch also saw 15-year-old Nottingham golfer Jake Benson, who has previously represented England in golf, receive a £500 cheque from the sponsors.
The funds will go toward Jake achieving his goal of gaining a scholarship in America and progress to the PGA and European championships.
The lunch also welcomed Nick Matthew OBE, one of the most successful English squash players of all time, as the special guest speaker. Nick is three time World Champion and three time British Open Champion, and has won Gold at the Commonwealth Games. He is currently ranked as world number 2 for squash.
Geoff added: “We are all very grateful to Nick Matthew as well who, despite his busy schedule, gave his time and encouragement in support of the lunch.
“The lunch on Friday was fantastic and thoroughly enjoyable. We managed to raise funds for the charity and increase awareness of what we do as well.”
