“WHO would have thought that an evening at the theatre would do so much for health and well being?” said Rob Gee from Wokingham’s 41 Club.
“It did in our town.”
Social group 41 Club organised a trip to a special preview night at Wokingham Theatre of their first production of the year; The Truth.
“We promoted the event on social media,” he continued, “and local people bought all the tickets from us, filling the much loved performance venue in Cantley Park.
“Tickets included a raffle with prizes donated by very generous local businesses, many of whom have supported our Charity Theatre Night for years, providing an important part of the evening’s entertainment.
“The main event was, of course, the play, The Truth; a comedy performed by members of Wokingham Theatre, all of whom volunteered their time so that all the ticket money went to our chosen charity.”
The evening out, led by 41 Club fundraising chairman Clive Eckett, raised £3,400 for Macmillan Cancer Support.
Macmillan ambassador Mark Clements thanked the 41 Club, and said: “Funding is so important at this time of high costs; so many people need cancer care.
“This amount enables us to pay for 100 hours of specialist nursing care for patients at the Royal Berkshire Hospital (RBH) Cancer Centre.”
Members of 41 Club were able to visit the Reading hospital, where they saw its Cancer Centre facilities, which include primary radiology suites, and a new SXT suite for skin cancer treatment.
Macmillan Cancer Care complements the hospital’s medical treatment by providing information and counselling for patients, as well as giving specialist support to NHS cancer nursing staff.
Mike Booth, chairman of 41 Club said: “It was fantastic to have raised so much.
“We thank Wokingham Theatre and our raffle prize sponsors for their generosity.
“And we particularly thank the lovely people of Wokingham who bought tickets and came along to enjoy a night at the theatre.
“Without you we couldn’t have raised so much for Macmillan Cancer Support, so on behalf of them, I thank you with all my heart.”
John Gold, board member of Wokingham Theatre said how pleased the cast and backstage volunteers were to have supported such a worthy cause, and how lovely it was to have a good full house for the charity preview performance.
Wokingham 41 Club has around 30 members, men who meet socially to have fun and to support their local community.
They must all be more than 41 years old, dating back to a time when men would ‘retire’ at 40 from Round Table to join the 41 Club.
Nowadays it isn’t necessary to have been a Round Table member.
For information, and to join, visit: 41club.org
