THE 25th anniversary Post Gala, held on Friday evening, was a resounding success, raising in the region of £4,000 for our chosen charity, Children’s Hospice South West.
Penstowe Manor at Kilkhampton was decorated exquisitely to host the special event.
As people started to take to their seats, there was a brisk trade for raffles and souvenir programmes, before everyone settled down for the evening ahead.
After a quick welcome and introduction by Post general manager, Judy Ward, comedian Tank Sherman, took over the reins after stepping in at the last minute to also act as compere.
Opening the Gala was the Boscastle Buoys, who, even with a couple of members missing, pulled off a great set, with their Cornish songs and sea shanties.
The funny banter between the singers, orchestrated by Roger Nicholls, added a special touch, and was well received by the audience.
Comedian Tank was next up, entertaining everyone with his quick wit and funny stories.
Tank is a familiar face on the Gala line-up, having been a part of the event on a number of occasions.
But his act is ever-changing, with new jokes and good-natured ribbing with the crowd — few dared to leave their seats during his act for fear of being accosted!
During the interval, the raffle was drawn, and thanks extended to the local businesses and individuals who donated the marvellous prizes.
Three items — a quilt donated by Liz King, a tablet donated by HBH Woolacotts and a night’s bed and breakfast and a cream tea at the Tintagel Arms Hotel — were auctioned and boosted the total raised on the night by £155.
In addition, a television, donated by the Lighthouse at Bodmin, was won by the lucky programme holder.
Next to be welcomed onto the stage was Eddie Farwell, co-founder and chief executive of Children’s Hospice South West. He received a cheque on behalf of the charity for £2,000.
Mr Farwell gave a short history of the hospice, from the early days when the idea of a hospice for the region was dreamt up by himself and his late wife, Jill.
Now, 25 years later, there are three hospices — Little Bridge House at Fremington, Charlton House at Bristol and Little Harbour in?Porthpean — offering a full range of respite, palliative, emergency, end of life care and bereavement support free of charge to families in the South West.
The charity is currently providing care for around 400 families alongside a growing number of bereaved families.
It costs £8-million each year to fund the services at the three hospices and the charity relies almost entirely on voluntary funding.
Mr Farwell said he was delighted to attend the Gala and collect the cheque. He offered his thanks to everyone in the audience and the Post staff for supporting such a worthwhile cause.
He said: “I would like to thank everyone involved in the gala for their support of Children’s Hospice South West over the past many years. It is an exciting year for the gala and CHSW and I am delighted that we can celebrate together.
“Thank you for helping us to continue supporting children and families in our local communities as we look ahead to the next 25 years.”
To end the show, Tank Sherman introduced the headliners — Edison Lighthouse.
Original member Dave Taylor has teamed up with Bob Hickmott to perform Edison Lighthouse songs as well as many other ‘60s and ‘70s songs.
The duo were so popular, they had the audience swaying, toe-tapping, clapping and out of their seats dancing — with many cries of ‘more, more’ as their set came to an end.
Judy took to the stage for one last time to wish everyone a safe journey home and to thank them for supporting the Post’s event and the hospice — each celebrating a special milestone this year.
If you would like to know more about the work of the CHSW, Little Harbour offers monthly open days. These days are extremely popular and tours have to be pre-booked.
For more information see www.chsw.org.uk/opendays.