Home North West Dewsbury rugby stars pitch in as Bling Fling butlers

Dewsbury rugby stars pitch in as Bling Fling butlers

Great sports: Dewsbury Rams with the Bling Fling committee

Dewsbury Rams are putting some muscle into this year’s Bling Fling businesswomen’s charity lunch, to help raise thousands of pounds for Forget Me Not children’s hospice.

The Rugby League club has volunteered to pitch in with a team of “Butlers in Bowties” who will meet and greet guests as they arrive. They will circulate with raffle tickets during the event and generally assist the organising committee to ensure everything runs smoothly in order to raise as much as possible for the hospice and hopefully top last year’s total.

The Bling Fling is back for the second year running on Friday, May 3, at The Arches in Dean Clough, Halifax. This year’s lunch will have a floral theme, with beautiful single stem flowers available for guests to buy and enter a special prize draw, plus more chances to win throughout the event.

Vicki Davenport, head of The Bling Fling Committee said: “We’d like to say a huge thank-you to the lads for being such great sports in coming along to help raise funds for such an amazing cause. But, sorry ladies – please don’t all suddenly form a scrum for tickets, as the tables are all already sold out. However there is still chance to sponsor the Floral Bling Fling or donate some lovely prizes for the raffle.”


Steven Downes of Dewsbury Rams said: “Once again this shows that Dewsbury Rams is dedicated to backing worthwhile events. We hope everyone has a terrific day and the event goes superbly well and raises a lot of money for a much-needed cause.”

The first “Diamond” Bling Fling, with its glittering jewellery theme, raised an impressive £17,750 for the Huddersfield-based Hospice, which supports families of children with life-shortening illnesses.

Jess Lees, Corporate Fundraiser at Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice said: “It costs us £4million a year to help change the lives of all the wonderful children and families who use our services every day. Without events like the Bling Fling to bring in funds and the support of caring people like the whole team at Dewsbury Rams, we wouldn’t be able to carry on doing what we do.

“In fact, what we really need is to keep growing, because we can currently only reach 15% of the families who need us, so we do appreciate all the help we can get.”
The Huddersfield-based charity provides services across West Yorkshire and recently expanded into North Manchester, offering top quality nursing care, days out, listening and therapy and respite care.

The support begins right from the pregnancy stage when future health issues may start to become apparent. The hospice team guides parents through difficult decisions, and ensures that no-one is alone before and after their baby is born.

This is followed up with a wide range of services for the children and family, from a hydrotherapy pool to music therapy, play and craft therapy, day and night respite care, emergency crisis care and symptom control.

There is then a range of services for teenagers, including essential social activities as well as support services for the whole family, including complementary therapies, dedicated support for brothers and sisters, emotional support and counseling, as well as bereavement support.

When that most difficult time arrives to prepare for the end of a child’s life, there is support and guidance with end-of-life care planning as well as with magical memory-making. The hospice’s Snowflake Suite is a very private, peaceful apartment where families can stay overnight, or just visit, to say their last goodbyes to a baby or child who has just died.