Marion got them
all going
Bobo Balde
 She asked Celtic and Rangers for signed football strips and auctioned them on e-Bay.
She was delighted to receive the strips, one of which was signed by Celtic defender Bobo Balde, but was unhappy with the bids for them, so decided to explore different avenues.
She says, “My friends Ian and John from the Atrium Coffee House on Cresswell Street said they’d raffle them for me and we managed to get £321 for them.
“But the customer who won the Celtic strip decided to return it.” Perhaps he wasn’t a fan!
Raymond McDaid from Motatune Car Repairers in Glasgow then gave Marion £80 for the strip, meaning the total raised by the tops was a whopping £401.
“Of course, none of this would have been possible if Celtic and Rangers hadn’t donated them, so a big thank you has to go to them,” adds Marion.
As word of Marion’s dedication spread, family and friends began rallying to the cause. Her friend and client Ann Edmonds was first to catch the CHAS fever.
Show
Ann, along with 76 pupils from Star Struck Stage School, put on a show, raising £600.
Then in April, Marion’s sister-in-law, Elizabeth Friel, lent a hand to the Graham Laurie School of Music, which raised £4500 at a concert at Paisley Town Hall.
“I was involved with the school for 23 years,” says Elizabeth. “I’d wanted to do something for CHAS for a long time, so suggested we organise a concert in their name.”
A musical extravaganza entertained more than 600 guests as conductor and master of ceremonies, Graham Laurie led his accordionists to a crescendo.
They also raised the roof for our appeal. A delighted Debbie Traynor was there to receive the cheque on behalf of CHAS.
She said, “It was a fantastic night, I wish I’d taken my mum — she’d have loved it.
“They raised a staggering amount. They thought they’d get about £1000, but it was four times that.”
Success
To top it all the Graham Laurie School of Music organised a raffle with two flights from Glasgow to Ontario, courtesy of Canadian Affairs, as the prizes.
Elizabeth says, “That was an almighty success. They ran out of raffle tickets!”
Marion is delighted by how much money has been raised since her party. “I know the value of respite for families and think it’s important to give children care in a loving environment and that’s what CHAS is all about.
“Everyone I speak to takes CHAS to their heart,” adds Marion who, after starting her fund-raising just last July, has now delivered
more than £8000 to our appeal.
It seems supporting CHAS is infectious— and few are immune!
|
You can e-mail us at:
hospice@sundaypost.com
|
Above — Debbie Traynor accepts the musical extravaganza cheque.
Inset — Marion Friel.
