VICTORY could be on the cards for Worcestershire village whist drive club after being shortlisted by Midlands Air Ambulance Charity for one of its annual recognition awards.
Eckington Whist Drive which meets each Thursday at Eckington Village Hall is in the running against a eight nominees from across the West Midlands for the Community Fundraiser Award category.
The awards recognise the volunteers, fundraisers, supporters, and corporate partners across the region who help make its daily missions possible.
The popular whist drive which attracts more than 30 people each week has made around £102,000 for the charity over the past 25 years.
Organiser Stephanie Elphick, was delighted to be nominated for the award. “It’s brilliant,” she told the Observer. “It’s such an important cause and none of us know when we are going to need it.”
Stephanie said she was carrying in the spirit of her late friends Betty Hodges and Cynthia Norton who started fundraising for the charity by holding jumble sales and coffee mornings more than two decades ago.
“I’m keeping the tradition going, and people get a lot of enjoyment from coming to the whist drive.
“They enjoy a cuppa and a piece of my homemade cake. It might be the only time they get out during the week,” she added.
Midlands Air Ambulance Charity is asking for the public’s help to pick the winner from the following nominees:
· Declan Barlow and Sandy Giles, Staffordshire
· Beverley Davies, West Midlands
· Tracey Redmond, West Midlands
· Anne-Marie Eden, West Midlands
· Bridgnorth Vintage Machinery Club, Shropshire
· Eckington Whist Drive, Eckington, Worcestershire
· Lucton School, Herefordshire
· Croft Farm Water Park, Gloucestershire
Emma Wood, head of fundraising for Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, said: “We are truly grateful to the remarkable support we have received over the last 35 years from our amazing community fundraisers and donors from across the six counties we cover.
“Without their unwavering commitment, our lifesaving pre-hospital emergency service simply could not operate.
“The public vote for this award showcases the extraordinary generosity of our communities, and it is clear that choosing just one winner from these outstanding nominees is no small challenge.”
The winners will be announced at the charity’s Saving Lives Charity Ball on Friday, September 25 at Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham.
Visit: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FDNKPQ7 to place your vote until the poll closes on Friday, June 26 at 4pm.
