Hartlepool & District Hospice is celebrating following the success of a charity sportsman’s dinner featuring former Arsenal, Middlesbrough and England football star Ray Parlour.

The event, a partnership between Hartlepool and District Hospice and The Wynyard Rooms at Wynyard Park, attracted 140 mainly business guests from around the region, including Stuart Drummond, the Mayor of Hartlepool and a regular supporter of hospice events.

The evening saw guests treated to a luxury three-course dinner before they were entertained with a collection of well-chosen stories from the football legend’s colourful career.

All catering costs for the event were sponsored by Wynyard Park which reduced the hospice’s costs significantly, meaning the event raised a fantastic £10,500 for hospice services.  The money was raised through a combination of activities, including ticket sales, donations, a game of heads and tails, a raffle and a charity auction.  The auction featured a variety of exclusive signed sporting goods, as well as a signed Rod Steward Gold Disc.

In real terms, the £10,500 raised will pay for an in-patient bed at the hospice for 6 weeks.

Hartlepool and District Hospice provides specialist palliative care to people and families affected by life-limiting illnesses. It currently costs £2.4 million per year to run the hospice, with only 23% of this amount being funded by the Government.

Francis McAllister, Director of Fundraising at the hospice, said, “It was fantastic to work in partnership with the Wynyard Rooms. The venue, food and their professionalism helped to create a superb atmosphere which everyone enjoyed. Ray Parlour was outstanding, entertaining the audience with inside stories and ‘wind-ups’ which had everyone laughing. I would particularly like to thank everyone who attended the event for supporting our fundraising efforts – they directly help us to fund the services we provide to local patients free of charge.”

“I would also like to extend a thank you to the staff members from Virgin Money who attended the event and have secured match funding for the money raised from the evening’s raffle.”

Jeff Hind from The Wynyard Rooms said: “Hartlepool and District Hospice provides a vitally important service to the local community and we are delighted to have been able to help it raise such a significant sum of money.”

Two eye-catching steel sculptures are greeting visitors to a North-East business park ahead of one of the biggest charity arts events the region has seen in recent years.

The large sculptures by Ray Lonsdale, a former steel fabricator from County Durham, have gone on display at Wynyard Park to promote The Northern Art Experience which takes place on Thursday June 28.

The Wynyard Rooms, Wynyard Park’s exclusive function room venue, is hosting the event in partnership with the Saltburn-based art gallery ArtsBank and Wynyard Park-based accountancy firm Evolution LLP.

A range of art work from the North-East, including paintings, ceramics, sculptures and photographs, will be on display and available to buy, and there will also be an auction.

All proceeds from ticket sales will go to the South Cleveland Heart Fund which supports the James Cook Cardiothoracic Unit.

Jeff Hind from The Wynyard Rooms explained: “The Ray Lonsdale sculptures which have been loaned to us by ArtsBank to promote The Northern Art Experience, are particularly striking and they have certainly become a talking point amongst staff and visitors to Wynyard Park.

“One – entitled Wipe Clean with a Soft Cloth – is located within our Wynyard Park House HQ while the other – Did You Forget – is located outside the building’s main entrance.

“Wipe Clean with a Soft Cloth is really a piece about love and Did You Forget is all about not assuming that you’ll go straight to heaven and atoning for mistakes that you may have forgotten about.

“It is art of this quality that is set to make The Northern Arts Experience such a great night. We hope people will come along, enjoy the work of some of the North-East’s most talented artists and help us raise funds for a very worthwhile cause that benefits many local people.”

Tickets are still available for the event which is to be held from 6-10pm. They cost £10 and include a champagne reception and canapes. They can be obtained from reception at Wynyard Park House, by calling (01740) 661000 or e-mailing fatema.ahmed@thewynyardrooms.com

All the excitement of one of the world’s most famous horse race meetings can be enjoyed at a special event on Teesside.

The Wynyard Rooms, the exclusive function room venue at 700-acre Wynyard Park, will be celebrating Royal Ascot Ladies’ Day in style on Thursday June 21.

Guests will be able to enjoy some top-quality catering whilst watching live televised action from the Berkshire course.

Tickets for the event are priced at £15 per person and early booking is advised to avoid disappointment.

Jeff Hind from The Wynyard Rooms said: “We brought Royal Ascot to Teesside in a similar way last year and the event was really popular. This year, it promises to be even better still.

“With a tipster and tote on site, guests will be able to soak up the atmosphere of Royal Ascot in comfort

The fun starts at 1pm with a Pimms reception and this will be followed by a barbecue – the menu comprising a sumptuous range of meats and salads – before the racing is streamed live onto a big screen. The event is scheduled to finish at 6pm.

To book a ticket call Fatema Ahmed on (01740) 661000.