Charity Gala Dinner

ROTARY GALA DINNER

In aid of

RENNIE GROVE HOSPICE CARE

After nearly two years of delays caused by Covid-19, as the original Rotary Charity Gala dinner was

planned for the 28th March 2020, we finally managed to hold our Rotary Gala dinner on 25th March,

thanks to the perseverance shown by Rotarian Donna Foxwell, the event organiser.  The venue for the evening

was the Gerrards Cross Golf Club, who provided the 100 plus guests with an excellent 3 course meal. The guest

speaker, world renowned author Frederick Forsyth, willingly signed his books on condition that part of the sale

value was donated to the Rennie Grove Charity.

A short and emotional talk was given by Rachel Griffiths, which outlined the care and support given by Rennie

Grove nurses to patients suffering from terminal illness. The loss of her own child encouraged Rachel to join

the outstanding Rennie Grove organisation.

Our Guest Speaker, Mr. Fredrick Forsyth, gave us a glimpse into the window of his remarkable life and how he

became the famous Author he is today. It was a very interesting and awe-inspiring talk.

Finally, we were treated to a Charity Auction hosted by Mr. Trevor Kent, the esteemed Auctioneer. There

were some very generous and eclectic items ranging from a signed copy of “Simply Raymond” cookbook

by Raymond Blanc to custom-made men’s and women’s shoes, a range of spa and beauty dates, afternoon

champagne tea plus trips to Pinewood Studios, The Daily Telegraph and Lords for the New Zealand test

match. One unusual and outstanding item was an auction of Perfume by Clive Christian, worn by British

Royalty and Hollywood elite alike. These perfumes were awarded the Guinness World Record as The

World’s Most Expensive Perfumes.

A sum in excess of £8000 was donated to Rennie Grove thanks to the generosity of the guests, who also

provided a further £450 to the Rotary Ukraine Medical appeal.

The President, Jim Patterson, thanked all the guests, the staff, the Auctioneer Trevor Kent, the Rotarians

and the donors, who had contributed so much and, of course, Frederick Forsyth for playing such a major

part in the evening’s enjoyment and success