July 2010 - The Boys' Brigade

3rd
Gourock
Cancer
Care
Charity
Ball
On Saturday 26 September
250 guests descended on
Greenock Town Hall for what
turned out to be a fabulous evening
at the 3rd Gourock Company’s
Breast Cancer Care Charity Ball
– fabulous in that it was a most
enjoyable event and fabulous in
that it raised £16,000 for a most
worthy charity.
In the Autumn of 2008 we were
reminded of just how breast cancer
can affect anyone at any time. We all
live with the threat that a family member
or friend may be diagnosed with the
disease when we least expect it.
Some of our senior boys and a young
member of Company staff suggested
that the 3rd Gourock should do
something to raise funds for the Breast
Cancer Care Charity. Rather naively
we thought that we could arrange a
fundraising dinner within four months
and promptly set about booking
Greenock Town Hall for Saturday 25
March. We soon learned from voices
of experience that March was too
ambitious! The next available date at
the Town Hall was 26 September, so,
26 September it had to be.
At first we set ourselves what we
98 The Boys’ Brigade Gazette July 2010
thought was an ambitious target figure
of £5,000. The target was very quickly
raised when we received our first
donation of £3,000! On the night our
silent auction target figure was doubled!
The incredible generosity shown by
everyone was very humbling.
At the Town Hall we had contact with a
number of ladies, who had had cancer
and were keen to talk about their own
experiences of breast cancer. One
lady in particular was so grateful for
...Our senior boys
grafted solidly
for eight hours
as cloakroom
attendants, waiters,
dishwashers...the
dishwashing did
not end until 2am!
what we were doing she said “... the
advancement made in the treatment of
the disease has been incredible and it is
only through fundraising events like this
that it has been possible. Please take
every opportunity you can to promote
the charity as every penny they receive
is so very well spent.”
On the night we declared a total
of £14,000 figure, but this grew to a
staggering £16,000 in the following days.
We can only hope and pray that our
contribution to the charity will further
help the advances in treatment and,
who knows, ultimately help find the
elusive cure which has exercised the
minds of scientists for years.
Our senior boys were a credit to
themselves, their parents and the 3rd
Gourock as they grafted solidly for
eight hours as cloakroom attendants,
waiters, dishwashers and general
‘goffers’. The dishwashing did not end
until 2am. There were so many people
involved both directly and indirectly,
from within our Church and without,
from near and afar. We are extremely
grateful to all who contributed to the
success of the Ball.
Bill Main
Company Captain