UPDATE - Issue 20 - Winter 2004
Olympic oarsman's pledge to older generation
HRH the Duchess of Gloucester, flanked by Chelsea Pensioners
Maylor
and Kennerley and Roger Plail (left) and Olympic oarsman Ed Coode
(right).
The arrival of a very welcome intruder at the Savoy during the Launch of a Million Prostate Miles was quickly spotted by our Royal Patron who had just made the first donation to this initiative. Those attending the Annual Luncheon were enjoying their post-lunch coffee and listening to the Launch when The Duchess of Gloucester noticed that her husband had just slipped into the Lancaster Room and had found a chair close to the Stage where she was standing. In a flash our Patron handed over another donation on his behalf so that His Royal Highness could become donor number two.
The Luncheon on 20 October 2004 was attended by more supporters than ever and after being greeted by the President, Mr Tony Kilmister, and the Chairman, Professor Roger Kirby, HRH The Duchess of Gloucester was escorted to the River Room where informal presentations were made to her. All then made their way to the Lancaster Room for lunch - at the end of which an auction was held.
The auction was conducted by Mr Nicholas Bonham whose ancestor established, in 1793, the world's oldest and fastest growing auction house and the largest firm of auctioneers still in British ownership.
Auctioneer Nicholas Bonham, raising money at speed and with
charm
A happy prizewinner
Immediately after the auction, the indefatigable Mr Roger Plail outlined the fundraising success of the Mount Kinabalu climbers and this was followed by a 30 second video clip of Britain winning gold in the coxless fours at the 2004 Olympics. This gave Gold Medallist Ed Coode his cue for a short but memorable speech to our supporters about their achievement and his pledge of support for the Million Prostate Miles.
| Ed Coode shows off his Gold Medal |
In the course of his speech Ed Coode said: 'Remember, we are not asking you to give, but rather to persuade others to give to support a Million Prostate Miles and our charity. I will pledge to do the same and before the end of next year I will get my rowing friends together to seek sponsorship and raise funds for Prostate Research Campaign UK.'
Ed Coode went on: 'You might well ask why I am doing this, for - with the greatest respect - I am from a rather different generation than many of the charity's supporters. And it is a very fair question. The answer is very simple. My generation are going to benefit from your hard work and the results of research you are paying for. My generation will benefit too from increased awareness and the spread of knowledge about prostate diseases you are funding. The very least we can do is to help you in your task'.
The Duchess of Gloucester then received from Roger Plail a giant cheque for no less than £274,593 (which, since then, has risen to £293,650) for the cause raised by the Mount Kinabalu climbers.
Roger Plail then invited Her Royal Highness and two Chelsea Pensioners to take the first steps of and cut the tape to the first Prostate Mile of the Million Prostate Miles Campaign which she did.
In a light hearted speech which followed, Budge Rogers, former England Rugby Captain, RFU President and holder of 34 caps, urged strong support for Prostate Research Campaign UK. He and all concerned with this memorable lunch were warmly thanked by Brigadier John Anderson, the charity's Chief Executive.
Their Royal Highnesses, escorted by the President and the Chairman, then departed, at the end of a great event, to warm applause.