More than a thousand ping pong balls will be bounced down a hill in aid of a hospice.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The event will be held on Bull Lane, Denbigh, on Saturday, June 22 at 10am, before the Denbigh Carnival.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cI can\u2019t thank them enough for what they did for us as a family, and for what they did for my father.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey gave him pain relief and all that sort of thing and he slowly went to sleep, and that was unbelievable.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t 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\u2019re going through, and here at St Kentigern we give that.\u201d<\/p>\n
St Kentigern needs to raise \u00a31.6 million each year. They receive 20 per cent of that from the Welsh Government but rely heavily on public support for the rest.<\/p>\n
The hospice, based in St Asaph, serves the communities of North Wales throughout Denbighshire, Conwy, and Flintshire.<\/p>\n
Denbigh Round Table fundraiser Gareth Hughes said: \u201cI am very excited about the ball drop. It\u2019s going to be a lot of fun and it\u2019s for a great cause.<\/p>\n
\u201cSt Kentigern provides a vital service and supports families in the area at a time they most need it, and if they weren\u2019t here it just wouldn\u2019t\u00a0happen.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe support from the town for the event has been fantastic. Various places in Denbigh are selling the balls for us, such as the St\u00a0Kentigern shop,\u00a0 the Hand, Denbigh Chocolate Shop, E Jones & Sons, and the Glass Onion. It\u2019s a massive help and we\u2019re very grateful to them. St Kentigern is also selling the balls in their shops.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt costs \u00a31 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 \u00a3100, second prize is \u00a325, and third prize is \u00a315.<\/p>\n
\u201cI haven\u2019t been involved in the Ball Drop before but I\u2019ve been told that it\u2019s great fun.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cWe raise money for charities through things like the Denbigh Beer Festival and the Christmas float, and of course the Ball Drop.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a fantastic social side to the Round Table. Sometimes it\u2019s just going out for a pint or a meal with the lads, but you also get the chance to try things you\u2019ve never done before.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor example, a few weeks ago we played wheelchair basketball. It was great fun. My hands were pretty sore afterwards though.\u201d<\/p>\n
St Kentigern chief executive Ian Bellingham said: \u201cWe are delighted that the Round Table has chosen to support St Kentigern.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re always very grateful for the public support and it\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
For more information about St Kentigern Hospice visit <\/strong>www.stkentigernhospice.org.uk<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0or ring 01745 585221<\/strong><\/strong>.<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n For more information about the Ball Drop contact Gareth Hughes at <\/strong>gareth@ceidiog.com<\/strong><\/a>, ring 07732955339 or visit <\/strong>www.denbigh.roundtable.co.uk<\/a><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n Balls can be bought from the St Kentigern shop,\u00a0Hand public house, Denbigh Chocolate Shop, E Jones & Sons and The Glass Onion.<\/strong><\/p>\n