The first hockey club in Britain to receive the gift of a defibrillator from RALPHH has now become the most generous sporting club in raising funds for the national charity.
Gateshead Hockey Club used its summer fun event, with an associated raffle and the sale of teas and coffee to raise £770, and in addition a further £250 has been received thanks to the help of the company Funeral Partners, whose staff member Michelle Beveridge is Regional Support Manager North East and Scotland as well as Secretary of the Hockey Club.
Michelle and Chris Camsell, Chairman of the Club, visited London to present the money to Richard Allen, Chairman of RALPHH. “We are so grateful for this wonderful support from Gateshead,” said Richard Allen. “The money will be used to spread our reach to more sporting clubs needing a free defibrillator. Certainly, both we and the hockey authorities would like to see more clubs have defibrillation equipment available in the event of an unforeseen heart or circulatory problem,”
Hockey in Wales has been a major beneficiary of RALPHH support, with gifts now made to six clubs and a further one in the pipeline. Progress in England has been less rapid, so the charity is keen to spread the message across a sport that is both rapid and exerting.
Gateshead men and women play in the Yorkshire North East League. At the time of the presentation in early October, the top men’s team of three was third in the League, while one of the two ladies teams held fifth place.
The RALPHH charity (Robert Allen Life Promotion and Health Hearts Trust) has grown significantly in its reach since August 2023, when Gateshead received the gift of its defibrillator. Those sporting locations where RALPHH has either given away defibrillators or provided grants have now topped 40, with plan for further expansion over the coming winter months.
“We welcome hearing from more hockey and other sports clubs who believe they should be doing more to safeguard the well-being of their players and spectators. We can be reached on richardallen52@btinternet.com, and if other clubs have received our gift and want to follow the splendid example set by Gateshead Hockey we would be only too delighted.”
Left to right: Richard Allen, Chris Camsell and Michelle Beveridge.
Comments