Arthrose Appeal nears £40,000 landmark following latest fundraising event
An appeal set up nine years ago to raise money for fracture, orthopaedic and trauma clinics at the West Suffolk Hospital is nearing £40,000 following the latest fundraising event.
A total of £750 was the latest amount raised for My WiSH Charity’s Arthrose orthopaedic appeal from a country music night at the British Sugar Social Club, in Hollow Road, Bury St Edmunds, featuring Irish singer Stacey Breen.
It was organised by Ben Lord, who originally worked with the charity to set up the appeal back in 2014, and he was left “over the moon” by the amount raised from the singer’s appearance in the town … her debut performance in the UK.
Twenty-one-year-old Stacey’s career is taking an upward turn and she was persuaded to come to perform locally after Ben saw her last year when she was on tour with fellow performer from the Emerald Isle Dominic Kirwan.
The pair played concerts in Haverhill, Leiston, King’s Lynn and Soham with Ben witnessing their performance and he was so impressed with Stacey that he booked her to play in Bury St Edmunds.
“When I originally saw her she came on stage and she was absolutely incredible and she has got a really bright career ahead of her,” said Ben, who lives in Ixworth.
Held at the social club on March 24 he added: “I was over the moon with the amount raised and it’s angled the fund ever closer to nearly £40,000 when we originally set the target at £25,000.”
The appeal was begun as a way of thanking the clinics at the hospital for the care given to Ben’s grandmother Beryl Rose who required multiple surgeries due to her severe arthritis.
Along with his family he wanted to ensure that the care and treatment that Beryl and her family received was recognised and that the public were made aware of the invaluable skill and effort the team of specialists provide at the West Suffolk Hospital.
Sue Smith, head of fundraising, said “This is a fantastic amount and we can’t thank Ben enough for his support. The donations raised from Ben and the community over the years mean we can enhance the care of patients of all ages which is just fantastic.”
Ben continued: “Nan died four years ago and one of the very few things that arthritis did not rob my nan of was music and she loved country music. She just fell in love with the genre and had she still been with us she would have loved the event.”
Now Ben is planning to organise other music functions during 2023 in a bid to reach the £40,000 mark.
Written by Russell Cook for My WiSH Charity
Main photo: Ben Lord with his cheque for £750 for the Arthrose Appeal