7 May 2004
An Aberdeen dinner and fashion show raised a phenomenal £21,000 to help working horses and donkeys in the developing world.
‘Fashion and Fun at the Races’ saw 300 guests descend on the Marcliffe Hotel in Pitfodels for a dinner, auction and raffle to raise money for the Brooke Hospital for Animals.
The Aberdeen Supporter Group, one of 28 Brooke fundraising groups dotted around the UK, has raised the highest-ever amount from a single fundraising event for the Brooke, which started 70 years ago.
The Group was also delighted to have as its guest of honour, Mrs. Camilla Parker Bowles - who joined fellow horse lovers to celebrate the charity’s 70th anniversary.
The Brooke provides free veterinary treatment for working equine animals in developing nations and for the people who depend on these animals for their income. The money raised from this event is enough to fund a mobile team for a year in Egypt, where the charity was founded 70 years ago.
Linda Moncur, the event organiser who has supported the charity for over 30 years, said the amount raised far exceeded everyone’s expectations: “The whole reason we did this was to alleviate suffering of poor unknown horses and donkeys and now we can do this with the money raised. I want to thank everyone who helped make this event possible and who donated to the Brooke on the night.”
John Trampleasure, the Brooke’s Fundraising and Communications Director, said of the group’s achievement: ”It's incredible that the money raised in Pitfodels on a chilly Wednesday night will be put to work in the searing temperatures of far-flung parts of Egypt. Thanks to the Brooke Supporters Group in Aberdeen thousands of hard working horses and donkeys will now receive the care and consideration they deserve as they toil in some of the harshest conditions in the world for their poor owners.”
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