More than a thousand ping pong balls will be bounced down a hill in aid of a hospice.
The Ball Drop is being organised Denbigh Round Table to raise cash for St Kentigern Hospice, in St Asaph, who support people with life limiting diseases.
The event will be held on Bull Lane, Denbigh, on Saturday, June 22 at 10am, before the Denbigh Carnival.
St Kentigern fundraiser Jackie Jeffrey knows first hand the difference the hospice makes to families after father Raymond Squire passed away at St Kentigern in 2006 following a stroke.
She said: “I can’t thank them enough for what they did for us as a family, and for what they did for my father.
“They gave him pain relief and all that sort of thing and he slowly went to sleep, and that was unbelievable.
“They gave him dignity and he just passed away not in pain, quietly, in a room with his family around him. The hospice does that little bit extra, at that particular time in your life when so much is going on.
“You don’t want your loved ones to die, but if you know that they are and that nothing else can be done, you want some peace and tranquillity and people that understand what you’re going through, and here at St Kentigern we give that.”
St Kentigern needs to raise £1.6 million each year. They receive 20 per cent of that from the Welsh Government but rely heavily on public support for the rest.
The hospice, based in St Asaph, serves the communities of North Wales throughout Denbighshire, Conwy, and Flintshire.
Denbigh Round Table fundraiser Gareth Hughes said: “I am very excited about the ball drop. It’s going to be a lot of fun and it’s for a great cause.
“St Kentigern provides a vital service and supports families in the area at a time they most need it, and if they weren’t here it just wouldn’t happen.
“The support from the town for the event has been fantastic. Various places in Denbigh are selling the balls for us, such as the St Kentigern shop, the Hand, Denbigh Chocolate Shop, E Jones & Sons, and the Glass Onion. It’s a massive help and we’re very grateful to them. St Kentigern is also selling the balls in their shops.
“It costs £1 to enter. The balls entered will be rolled from the top of Bull Lane and the owners of the first three to get to the bottom will win cash prizes. First prize is £100, second prize is £25, and third prize is £15.
“I haven’t been involved in the Ball Drop before but I’ve been told that it’s great fun.”
Gareth, who works for public relations company Ceidiog Communication, joined the Denbigh Round Table, which raises cash for local charities, just over a year ago.
He said: “We raise money for charities through things like the Denbigh Beer Festival and the Christmas float, and of course the Ball Drop.
“There’s a fantastic social side to the Round Table. Sometimes it’s just going out for a pint or a meal with the lads, but you also get the chance to try things you’ve never done before.
“For example, a few weeks ago we played wheelchair basketball. It was great fun. My hands were pretty sore afterwards though.”
St Kentigern chief executive Ian Bellingham said: “We are delighted that the Round Table has chosen to support St Kentigern.
“We’re always very grateful for the public support and it’s quite humbling to us that her get so much involvement from the local community, and we could not function without the support and the fundraising that the local community do for us.”
For more information about St Kentigern Hospice visit www.stkentigernhospice.org.uk or ring 01745 585221.
For more information about the Ball Drop contact Gareth Hughes at gareth@ceidiog.com, ring 07732955339 or visit www.denbigh.roundtable.co.uk
Balls can be bought from the St Kentigern shop, Hand public house, Denbigh Chocolate Shop, E Jones & Sons and The Glass Onion.
