Mayor’s farewell worth thousands
THE outgoing Mayor of West Lancashire, Cllr Neil Furey, has presented cheques totalling £10,875 to charities he has supported in his mayoral year.
The funds were raised by Cllr Furey and his wife and mayoress, Julie, with the support of the Mayor’s Charity Committee, and through a large number of fundraising events.
Events included Alternative Ascot Day at Lancashire Manor Hotel, Skelmersdale, and an event with opera singer Rachael Russell and the Kelly Shirley School of Dance at the Stanley Institute in Burscough.
The Mayor’s Charity Ball, also held at the Lancashire Manor Hotel, was another great success, as was deputy mayor Cllr Noel Delaney’s 75th birthday fundraising raffle at O’Brien’s Tea Rooms.
Collections at Asda, Morrison’s and Booths helped to increase the total and there was also a donation from the Tawd Valley Lions.
Cllr Furey said: “Julie and I are very grateful to everyone who has donated money to our chosen charities this year and to the hard working members of the Mayor’s Charity Committee.
“I have many happy memories of the fundraising events and I hope the money we have raised will make a big difference to these very worthy causes.”
One of Cllr Furey’s last duties was to present the cheques to his chosen charities, 42nd Ormskirk (Skelmersdale St Paul’s) Scouts, Evermoor Hub and The Sewing Rooms in Skelmersdale.
Maureen Fazal, a co-director of the Sewing Rooms, said: “We were delighted when we were selected to be one of the mayor’s charities this year and we are really pleased to receive this money which will go towards supporting our Silver Sewers Group.
“There is a lot of loneliness among older people and this group helps to combat that for members as many friendships have been forged within this group.”
Margaret Highton, director of the Evermoor Hub Management team, said: “We are very grateful to the mayor for selecting us to be one his charities this year.
“The money we have received will really help us and we have lots of ideas on how we can spend it, including improving storage space at the hub and possibly providing some courses on healthy eating.”
The Scouts group will spend the donation it has received on equipment to help their young members enjoy their activities even more.
Ian Flavell, group Scout leader, said: “We would like to thank the mayor for choosing us to be one of his charities for the last year and everyone who has helped to raise this money which will be a really big help for our group.”