Sausages in the skittle alley and raffles in the rain did not stop the dedicated locals who braved the wet and windy weather to support the latest Gobaith (Cymru) Charity Fund Raiser.
Quiz Night, complete with an indoor barbecue plus prizes, was held at the King William, in Cadoxton last weekend to boost the funds so desperately needed for a Suicide Support Centre in our town.
Organised by bereaved Barry mum Rachel Degaetano, whose son Chae took his life in April 2015, the evening saw ten teams of five players battle it out for the top prize of a bottle of booze.
They worked their way through six stages including the obligatory picture round and the baffling alpha links section. The night was skilfully hosted by novice Quiz Master Sue Vincent-Jones who shouted out the questions from the infamous ‘Billy Pulpit’ in between eating the brilliant BBQ laid on by Fran Sparkes.
Fran also led the team who were crowned top scorers, ‘The Clueless. They triumphed and took the title. There was also a prize for best team name which was won by ‘Sit On My Face and I’ll Guess Your Weight.’ They won a bottle of booze too – for their cheek if nothing else!
Raffle Prizes included a bottle of vodka from The Billy, a Pamper Hamper from Tesco, a bottle of Gin from Mandy Gee, a Gin and Glass Set from Vicky Gee, Beer and Lager from Morgan Bowen and ‘Smellies’ from Nina Lawrence .
Wine and cider was also donated by Rachel, who said: “Wow! Just want to say thank you to everyone made the night possible, I’m not going to mention everyone individually, but I would like to thank Sue for stepping up to the ‘pulpit’ and being our quiz master, me Julie and Chris for selling raffles, Franny for cooking the food.
Jodie, Rhidian, Becky and Nina for the entertainment.
All who donated the raffles, everyone who came and quizzed, (those questions were hard!) and last but not least the Billy Bar for letting us use the pub to host it in! Another £260 in the kitty!”
Gobaith Cymru, which was set up by Rachel earlier this year, needs to hit a target of £85,000 to start the Suicide Support Centre she is so personally and painfully aware is needed in our town.
Since then scores of local have stepped up to support the cause. The first fundraiser was the Pen Y Fan Sponsored Trek. Money is still coming in from this event with Helen Payne presenting her money raised to Gobaith (Cymru) at the Quiz Night.
The next challenge is Nina’s Gobaith (Cymru) Pub Run
On September 1st, Rachel’s sister and Chae’s Aunty, Nina Lawrence will start at The Billy and run into the pubs of Barry – stopping in each one to shake that charity bucket. The Run ends at The Buck for a fabulous night of dancing, raffles, fun and friendship.
Rachel added: “Over the next year we intend to fill in numerous grant applications, set up events, hold coffee mornings and pub quizzes, run marathons, climb mountains and jump out of planes. We ask you to sponsor and donate throughout the year. But mostly we ask for your support.
We were too late for our children. Please support us to support the young adults of our community. We intend to do all that we can to help save lives and ensure another family doesn’t have to endure the devastation that losing a loved one to suicide causes. Thank you.”
Gobaith (Cymru) is supported by the Jacob Abraham Foundation, a registered charity set up by Nicola Abraham following her own son’s death.
#itsoknottook is all about having the courage to stand up and say ‘enough is enough, the strength to keep fighting for our vital Suicide Support Centre, the swagger to celebrate the successes all along the way, and that faith that our community will make a difference for the young people in our town.
To make a donation, please visit the Gobaith Go Fund Me Page.
To organise a fund raising event contact the Gobaith (Cymru) facebook page.
To find out more about the Jacob Abraham Foundation, see their website.
To understand more about mental health, check out the MHA page.
Speak soon.
Mrs SVJ
Sue Vincent-Jones, writing as Mrs SVJ, is a Barry born journalist, editor, and communications specialist. She blogs about Barry – and her life in the wider world, through the eyes of a, quirky and queer, local girl done good.
As a community activist, Sue was an integral part of the Gobaith Campaign for a much-needed Barry Suicide Support Centre. She was Media Lead, and Communications Advisor, for the Group who have now merged with CUBE.
Mrs SVJ, Barry’s Boldest Blogger, can be contacted here.