North Wales Fire and Rescue Service is enlisting help from The Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust to take on North Wales Police staff on the cricket field following their closely fought defeat in last year’s highly anticipated charity match.
The blue light services will be meeting up on Friday, September 4th at Colwyn Bay Cricket ground to try and out bat each other and raise as much money as possible for Tŷ Gobaith Children’s Hospice.
Last year, North Wales Police scored an excellent 186 in 20 overs whilst North Wales Fire and Rescue Service managed a total of 95 all out in reply. They also raised £1381.94 for Tŷ Gobaith, which was matched by Barclays Bank.
This year, with The Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust on their side, North Wales Fire and Rescue Service hope to steal the winners title from the grasp of North Wales Police and raise even more funds for Tŷ Gobaith.
Assistant Chief Fire Officer Colin Hanks said: “We had an excellent match last year, and with help from staff from The Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust we’re hoping to take on North Wales Police and come away victorious! We were all extremely pleased that we raised so much for this worthy cause last year, and we’re hoping to raise even more this year.
“Barclays have once again kindly agreed to support the event through their Employee Volunteering pound-for-pound scheme – so any money we raise will be matched by Barclays to an agreed maximum again this year.”
Tŷ Gobaith children’s hospice opened in Conwy in the summer of 2004 and now provides regular periods of respite care for terminally ill children living in the North Wales area. Parents say it’s a beautiful place for their children to visit and it provides a much needed opportunity to be an ordinary family with their other children.
Temporary Deputy Chief Constable Ian Shannon said he looks forward to the challenge ahead: “The match last year was pretty close with players on both sides playing some excellent cricket. With our opponents’ side bolstered by players from the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust, we may have to try and step up our game! The match should be entertaining to say the least, and it would be great to see as many local people there as possible supporting their local emergency services as well as a deserving local charity.”
Dafydd Jones Morris Regional Director for the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust added: “As the new signings, we’ll be looking to prove our worth and play as well as we can! We are proud to be involved in the match and look forward to raising as much money as possible while enjoying a fun evening.”
Eluned Yaxley from Tŷ Gobaith said: “We were extremely grateful for the donation following last year’s match, and we look forward to seeing which side will be victorious this year!”
John Pitchford, Commercial Director for Barclays Commercial said: “At Barclays we strive to strengthen local communities in which we live and work by supporting a range of causes. This is a fantastic example of fundraising with the local community to achieve something which we hope will make a real and lasting difference.”
Barclays are proud of their leading community investment programme which added up to £52.2m to local communities in 2008.
The match will take place at Colwyn Bay Cricket Club at 5:00pm on Friday 4th September, 2009. Tickets are available from North Wales Fire & Rescue Service on 01745 535285 or North Wales Police on 01745 588516 and are priced at £3 for adults, with children under 16 free of charge. Barbeque food will be on sale or visitors can bring a picnic.
Photograph shows: Assistant Chief Fire Officer of North Wales Fire and Rescue Service Colin Hanks, Regional Director of The Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust Dafydd Jones – Morris, Commercial Banking Director for Barclays in North Wales, John Pitchford and Assistant Chief Constable of North Wales Police Ian Shannon.
