A FUNDRAISER who staged a concert in memory of his sister is banging the drum after winning a brand new car in a hospice draw.
Engineer and musician Bryan Gibson and his partner Maureen Hall dropped off a cheque for £1,557 at St Teresa’s Hospice, Darlington, and while they were there bought a ticket for the charity draw.
The drummer in the function band Rhythm Co collected his prize yesterday from Vauxhall dealer Sherwoods, a brand new Viva worth almost £9,000.
Mr Gibson, of Ingleton, lost his sister Sandra, 61, just five months after she went to the doctors with a sore throat but was diagnosed with lung cancer.
“St Teresa’s staff were just so amazing in the way they cared for Sandra that we wanted to do something to help,” he said.
“The fundraiser went really well and when we were dropping off the cheque we were delighted to buy a ticket for the prize draw never expecting that we would win. Maureen will love it being red as she is from Wales and it will be used by the whole family.”
Hospice chief executive Jane Bradshaw said: “We were really thrilled that someone so closely connected to St Teresa’s won the car, though it is not surprising really as the hospice has provided care for thousands of people over the past 30 years.”
The anniversary draw raised £20,000 for St Teresa’s, as part of a major fundraising drive to equip and run a new 10-bed in-patient unit and celebrate 30 years of the hospice serving Darlington, South Durham and North Yorkshire.
Sherwoods’ general manager Simon MacConachie added: “St Teresa’s does an incredible job and we were thrilled to help by sourcing the car. I’m sure Bryan and Maureen will really enjoy the Viva and we hope to see them again when we host the annual St Teresa’s charity ball here at Sherwoods next month.”
The £1.2m in-patient unit offers five-star service and peerless care with all ten private rooms opening out into the hospice gardens or with their own private woodland balcony.
Equipped with en-suite wet rooms, energy-efficient under-floor heating, modern ventilation, television and controllable mood lighting, medical equipment, including a piped oxygen supply and built-in hoists cleverly fold out of sight.