We continue to support our charity of choice, Variety, the Children’s Charity, wherever possible and we have currently raised over £1.8million. And with the Bingo Association’s upcoming Golf Day, alongside other committed fund-raising activities planned with operators during National Bingo Week in June, we are positive we will hit our target of £2 million by the end of this year!
Variety celebrates 75 years
Variety recently celebrated their 75th anniversary in the UK with the Chairman’s Reception held in London and hosted by Professor Jonathan Shalit OBE and Tushar Prabhu, Variety’s Chair and Co-Chair, joined by Chief Barker Michale Josephson MBE.
A few representatives from the BA attended; it was an opportunity for the charity to thank their supporters. They are as ever so grateful for all your support and contributions.
Variety beneficiary and supporter Olympian Tessa Sanderson CBE also attended. Tessa gave a moving speech on how Variety helped her in her childhood with their funding in making her dreams come true to compete at the highest level.
Variety also announced their partnership with Team Paralympics GB and Channel 4 on the second annual Variety Club Disability Sports Awards, which will be held in London after this year’s Paralympics on 25th November at the @sohoplace theatre in London.
We were honoured to be joined by Variety beneficiary and Young Ambassador Illias, who is taking the world of wheelchair racing by storm. Illias wowed guests with his story as he reflected on his journey in parasports and thanked Variety’s supporters whose generosity made his racing success possible.
To end the night, Variety unveiled plans for a new fundraising initiative to raise £15million for the Variety Children Hospital’s Ward at King’s College Hospital, to help raise the hospital’s paediatrics to an international level. They are thrilled to invigorate their forty-year relationship with the children’s hospital, which sees over 70,000 children pass through its doors every year.
Professor Jonathan Shalit OBE and Tushar Prabhu thanked the BA, their generous members, and their wonderful player communities for their support over the past years, and are grateful for their hard work and efforts in 2024 to achieve the monumental £2m fundraising total.
Dust off your golf clubs for Variety!
Finally, there are two major Golf Day events this summer, that will help us get even closer to our fundraising goal for Variety.
Firstly, the Bingo Association will be holding their annual Charity Golf Day and Dinner on Thursday 20th June. Whether you play golf or simply come for the drinks and dinner in the evening, it promises to be a key event for the industry to network and raise money for the charity.
This year we’re at a new venue, the beautiful Belton Woods Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort in Grantham, Lincolnshire. Belton Woods are proud to have hosted numerous PGA tournaments over the years, making them one of the top golf resorts in the East Midlands.
The BA are really hoping to increase the number of female golfers participating, so any lady golfers out there, please dust off those clubs and do come and join us!
The price is just £89 per player, which includes tea/coffee and bacon rolls on arrival, 18 holes on The Lakes Course, with 11 prizes to play for (including 2 new ladies’ prizes), plus a three-course evening dinner. After dinner will be the usual presentation of the competition prizes and a charity raffle in support of Variety, The Children’s Charity.
Then on Thursday 22nd August, Carlton Bingo will be holding their own Golf Day in aid of Variety. Their event is taking place at The Carrick Golf Course, on the beautiful banks of Loch Lomond.
Please get in touch with Carlton Bingo respectively, if you’d like to support these fantastic industry events.
Carlton Bingo Golf Day:
Stephen Morrison
smorrison@carltonclubs.com