Event History

• 2007 Charity Bowling Night
• 2007 Curry for Kids
• 2006 Celebrity Sports Quiz
• 2005 Celebrity Sports Quiz
• 2004 ‘Question of Sport’ Celebrity Sports Quiz
• 2003 Race Night
• 2002 St Patrick’s Day Celebration
• 2001 Chinese New Year Party

2007 Charity Bowling Night

Teams from 40 businesses spread across Greater Peterborough battled it out for the Barnardo’s Ten Pin Bowling Trophy at the Lakeside Superbowl in Peterborough on 17^th May 2007.  

The ‘Bowling for Barnardo’s’ evening is a relatively new event for the committee as this was only the second year it had been run. Yet again it was very popular with participating teams from local businesses. In 2006 the event proved to a lot of fun for all the participants and the great part about the concept is that it allows local business people the opportunity to network in a social setting.  

Of course the ultimate aim of the event was to raise money for Barnardo’s and through the generosity of the attending teams the evening raised £2,400. 

Local chartered accountants Baker Tilly took home the winners trophy and, unsurprisingly, one of their bowlers got the highest combined score over the two games. Local recruitment specialists Anne Corder Recruitment surprised themselves on the night by avoiding a repeat of their wooden spoon prize in 2006, mainly down to the dead shot accuracy of bowling legend Emma Wright.

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2007 Curry for Kids

The new Royal Fusion Indian and Thai restaurant in Uffington played host to a different type of launch night on Monday when 80 people filled the restaurant to capacity to sample the excellent cuisine and raise £3,500 for children’s charity Barnardo’s.

The event was the idea of Peterborough businessman and owner of Royal Spice, Zillur Hussain, who decided to reject a standard restaurant launch in favour of a charity fund raising evening.

He said, “I have managed several launch nights on an invitation only basis but due to Royal Fusion being a restaurant with a difference, I decided to change the format and host a charity fund raising evening that would not only benefit my restaurant but also a worthwhile charity.”

Zillur’s next step was to speak to the Peterborough Fund Raising Committee (PFRC) who is a collection of local business professionals who regularly organise charity events in the Greater Peterborough area. The event is the first of its kind organised by the committee who are better known for the premier Peterborough charity event “A Question of Sport”.

Committee member and Partner at local Solicitors Metcalfe Copeman & Pettefar, Sarah Adlam, said “The PFRC recently met for a Christmas meal at the excellent Royal Spice restaurant in Peterborough and were approached by the Manager, Zillur, who discussed the potential for holding a fundraising night at their new restaurant in Uffington. Knowing how popular this event would be, we agreed to help Zillur, and the tickets sold out immediately after promoting the event.”

She continued, ”The evening was fantastic and the restaurant will no doubt become the premier choice for Asian food diners in the greater Peterborough area. The PFRC, on behalf of Barnardo’s, are very grateful to The Royal Fusion for their kind gesture and I am sure that the restaurant now has 80 new customers that will return time and again.”

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2006 Celebrity Sports Quiz

(From left to right) Mark Foster, Charlotte Edwards, Michael Fenton, Peter Shilton, Keith Alexander, John Virgo, Paul Nixon, Clare Balding.

2006 was the third consecutive time the Peterborough Fund Raising Committee had organised and run a prestigious Question of Sport-style event to raise money for charity.
                                                               
On 19th October 2006 over 200 people turned out at the Cambridge Suite, East of England Showground to watch a host of well know sporting stars battle it out in Peterborough’s premier charity event, and help raise £17,000 for Barnardo’s and £1,875 for the Peterborough Sports Aid Foundation.
In what is now Peterborough’s premier charity even, the audience enjoyed the banter of sporting celebrities such as Ex England Goalkeeper, Peter Shilton; John Virgo, Snooker personality; Keith Alexander, Peterborough United Manager; Charlotte Edwards, England Women’s Cricket Captain; Paul Nixon, Wicket-keeper for Leicestershire; Clare Balding, leading BBC Sports broadcaster; Michael Fenton, Jockey; Mark Foster, World Championship swimmer and BBC Radio Five Live sports presenter, Bob Ballard.

The event included a 3 course meal, a question of sport celebrity quiz and a charity auction and raffle with prize donations from many local businesses, Click here for full details.

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In 2005 the final celebrity quiz team line-up included international athletics star Colin Jackson, Olympic swimmers Mark Foster, Karen Pickering and Stephen Parry, snooker legend Willie Thorne, Posh goalkeeper Mark Tyler, three day-eventer Sarah Cutteridge and shotputter Geoff Capes.  The question master was BBC Radio Five Live presenter Bob Ballard.

The event raised £13,000 with all the profit raised through ticket sales, raffle and auction being donated to national children’s charity, Barnardo’s The total for the two years the event has run comes to over £22,000, Click here for event details.

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2004 ‘Question of Sport’ Celebrity Sports Quiz

(From left to right) Colin Jackson, Mark Foster, Kelly Sotherton, Peter Norfolk, Stephen Parry, Sarah Cutteridge and John Motson

In 2004 the Peterborough Fund Raising Committee organised its first Celebrity Sports Quiz to coincide with the Athens Olympics. British sporting celebrities went head-to-head in a event that read like a who’s who of British sport.

World champions Colin Jackon (110m hurdles) and Mark Foster (50m freestyle swimming) captained teams that included Olympic bronze medallists Stephen Parry (swimming), Kelly Sotherton (Heptathlon), the world’s no. 1 wheelchair single tennis champion and gold medallist Peter Norfolk and  British equestrian eventer Sarah Cutteridge. Well-known football commentator, John ‘Motty’ Motson’ was Quiz Master for the evening.

The event, which included a charity auction of sporting items donated by participating celebrities, raised £10,000 for Barnardo’s.

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The charity auction included items donated by many famous sporting personalities and teams, with the highest bid going for a trip up Big Ben and an escorted tour of the House of Commons and the House of Lords.

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2002 St Patrick’s Day Celebration

Eat, drink, dance and be merry – was the theme of the St Patrick’s Day ceilidh celebration, which took place in March 2002.  Celebrating with Peterborough revelers was Irish film and television actress, Eileen Pollack, best known for her role as Lilo Lil in the BBC sitcom ‘Bread’.

As Eileen said on the night..”In Dublin’s fair city, there’s a monument to Dr Barndo, who came to England and decided to dedicate his life to the disadvantaged children he saw there. What better way to celebrate Barnardo’s than with a ceilidh! The word means ‘get together’ and that’s what we want – to sing, dance and storytell!”

The event raised £2,500 for Barnardo’s.