A huge thank you to The Exiles – a group of amazing gentlemen who have been organising a St George’s Day Lunch in aid of Pickering for many years now – for raising £22,000 at its 2024 lunch. The event, held at The Spa Hotel in Tunbridge Wells on Friday 26 April was their biggest yet, with 188 people attending.
As usual, there was a fantastic auction and raffle, as well as a ‘guess the weight’ competition for a pork pie handcrafted by David Sloan, while Adger Brown was there to host and run the auction.
“It was a pleasure to be part of the incredible St George’s Day Lunch once again,” says Polly Taylor. “The Exile boys have certainly created a very special annual event and this year’s was as amazing as ever – with the record numbers attending more than proving that. We are so grateful to The Exiles for the amazing amount of money they’ve raised over the years for Pickering. We also want to say a big ‘thank you’ to the companies and groups of friends and associates who book a table, returning year after year.”
Polly was proud to say a few words in our 20th anniversary year but our particular thanks must go to Leigh Stevens, who is a visitor to our Centre. She joined us at the lunch and told the room about the shock of her cancer diagnosis two years ago and how we have supported her and her family since then.
“Caroline and I were so touched that Leigh agreed to join us at the lunch and spoke so powerfully about the impact of her cancer diagnosis and her fight over these past two years, which is still ongoing,” says Polly. “You could hear a pin drop in the room whilst she spoke – no mean feat at a St George’s Day Lunch – and there wasn’t a dry eye by the end.”
Polly adds: “A huge ‘thank you’ to everyone involved in making the St George’s Day Lunch such a success. The money raised will help us to continue to make Pickering the ‘special haven’ it is for people with cancer across our town and the surrounding area.”