RBL puts on an ‘Alternative Race Day’
THE Royal British Legion (RBL) Kyrenia Branch raised over 8,000TL at an “Alternative Race Day” at the Olive Press in Lapta on Saturday to coincide with the UK’s Armed Forces Day.
Despite the heat, 55 attendees came out to show their support for the “race” involving wooden horses on a carpeted surface outdoors.
Event organiser Gordon Hayes said: “The event went fantastically well. The jockeys on all the horses were each dressed in military uniforms, which were knitted by four ladies for our event.
“Six people cooked and donated food for us so we could sell it at the event and so we could have something to eat there.”
There were multiple winners with prizes sponsored by five local businesses: a meal for two and a bottle of wine from Tolga’s Sular Restaurant and Bar; a meal for two at the Wild Duck Cafe; a full English breakfast for two at Road House; a 150 TL voucher from Amore and a bottle of Kelly’s Creme Liqueur from the Olive Press.
Mr Hayes explained that the event was part of a larger fundraising effort called the “11/11 Challenge”.
“The RBL looks after soldiers and their families of all three services,” he said. “We look after their welfare. If they fall on hard times, then we help them out. Our last chairman asked each of us on the committee to raise 1,100TL. So by November 11, which is just before Remembrance Sunday, we hope to raise somewhere around 11,110 TL.
“With the 8,171TL that I raised on Saturday, and the money that has already been raised from four other events, we are now at 24,000TL. We have already passed our target and still have two more events planned before November 11.
“The next one will be from our membership secretary Sharon Garfield, who is going to run 11km each day for 11 days in July on her running machine.
“Our biggest event will be organised by our treasurer Jean Bradley. She is going to do a five-castle walk covering 220km over six days in October.”