The Annual Gala Dinner is one of the main events in our fundraising calendar, and this would usually be the occasion where we reflect on the last year and celebrate the outstanding efforts of our community fundraisers and present our Smile4Rich Fundraiser of the Year Award.
Of course, last year we were unable to hold our Gala Dinner, but thanks to the generous support of MarineSpace, we decided that we would still present the award to recognise the incredible efforts of our fundraisers, who, despite the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, found ingenious ways to go above and beyond expectations, and continue supporting the charity through these most challenging times.
Having selected our three nominees, and with a slight change to tradition, we handed the reins over to our supporters to make the final decision, and vote for who they felt was the most deserving of the award.
As a reminder, our three finalists were:
The votes have now been counted and we are delighted to announce the very deserving winner of our 2020 Smile4Rich Fundraiser of the Year Award is .......
'LE TOUR DE FARCE - THE SEQUEL' TEAM
We would like to say a massive congratulations to Neil, Frank and Bob, who re-created the 2005 fundraiser 'Le Tour De Farce', which saw Neil, Frank and three other friends cycle a 390 mile route from Middlesbrough to Southampton. The 2020 Sequel necessitated a rather different format, and with excessive social distancing measures in place, Neil set out to ride the equivalent of 780 miles, from Southampton to Middlesbrough and back on a Turbo Trainer, while Frank (riding on local roads in some atrocious weather), tackled a virtual 621 miles route from his home in Scotland to Southampton. They were joined by Bob, a virtual stranger from Dorset, who also cycled the full 780 mile distance on his local roads.
Once restrictions allow, we will arrange a presentation for our winners to receive their awards, and we hope they will join us at this year's Gala Dinner where we can celebrate with them properly.
A huge thank you to all our 2020 fundraisers, who have supported us through the most difficult year.
Special thanks and congratulations of course to our winners Neil, Frank and Bob, but also to our other very deserving nominees Christopher Hammond and Helen Webster, for their incredible efforts and outstanding fundraising for Smile4Wessex.
