Ladies charity skittles league has proudly raised more than £13,000 over the past half-a-decade in Northants
A ladies charity skittles league has proudly raised more than £13,000 for worthy causes over the past half-a-decade in Northamptonshire.
Faye Brassett is the chairlady of the ladies charity skittles league, which has just finished another successful year having raised over £3,200 and gained two new teams as it continues to surge in popularity post-pandemic.
The league has been around for three decades and Faye, who is the landlady at The Foresters Arms in Nether Heyford, has been running it since 2017 with the support of a small committee.
“It’s been great,” Faye told the Chronicle & Echo. “We lost teams with pubs closing during the pandemic, but we’ve gained new teams. I’ve met lots of people and it’s a fun night out for some ladies. We get to go to different pubs, meet new people and it’s a nice community thing to do.”
Every year, half of the money raised is donated to national charity Guide Dogs and the other half to a local charity. This year, Guide Dogs and The Faraway Children’s Charity each received £1,636.
Over the past five years, around £8,800 has been donated to Guide Dogs and around £5,000 to local charities including the Hope Centre, 4Theo, The Lewis Foundation and The Frank Bruno Foundation.
As a thank you for their support, Guide Dogs have allowed the women who are part of the charity skittles league to name four puppies. They chose Skittle, Ronnie, Bramble and Bella, and they hit their target to name a fifth.
The donated funds make a “real difference”, as the money given to pre-eclampsia charity 4Theo sent nurses on a training course and The Frank Bruno Foundation put theirs towards new flooring in the gym.
Member Jayne Fuller, who previously spoke to this newspaper, is the force behind contacting pubs with skittles tables to get new teams on board. This has been successful with Towcester Mill Brewery and The Bartholomew Arms joining this year.
“It’s a fun, friendly league that’s open for all,” said Faye. “Jayne’s in a wheelchair and she’s keen to make it accessible for all. Jayne’s proved you can play in a wheelchair.”
The league will recommence in spring next year, and any pub with a skittles table who is interested in registering a team can reach out to Faye at The Foresters Arms in Nether Heyford.