Champion Fundraiser Romps Home for the Noah's Ark Appeal

Vice Chairman of the Noah’s Ark Appeal, businessman Eddie Hayward of Chepstow has many thousands of reasons to celebrate – in fact 28,500 reasons as that is the sum he and his family and colleagues at Chepstow Plant International have just raised for the children’s hospital charity.

A massive £28,500 was raised during a Ladies Day lunch held at Chepstow Races during the Ascot week. The races from Ascot were beamed in on multiple screens and the hundreds of guests enjoyed a flutter at the special bookmakers opened up just for the event, before bidding on some very special auction items. One item alone: a Welsh shirt signed by the Grand Slam 2008 team raised over £2000.

Eddie Hayward, Chairman of Chepstow Plant International and his family have organised a Ladies Day lunch each year for 20 years. The 2008 event was the fourth in aid of the Noah’s Ark Appeal and brought the total raised to help sick children in Wales to over £100,000. This money has been spent on vital state-of-the-art ophthalmology equipment and Mr Patrick Watts, Consultant Surgeon in Ophthalmology, based at UHW was on hand to thank the Hayward family and the lunch guests who over the years have shown remarkable generosity.

On behalf of the family, Eddie said ‘It gives us all so much pleasure to be able to help in this way; our customers and friends make this event a wonderful way to raise money for a cause that is close to all our hearts. My sisters and I visited the eye department to see some of the equipment that has now been purchased and it is wonderful. Mr Watts and his team look after hundreds of children each year – many premature babies included.  It is important that they have the best equipment available.”