THEY’D set themselves a target of raising £8,000 – but when it came to it, a staggering £10,087 was brought in to help sick children in a country just across the North Sea.
The occasion was ‘Wosp’ – Poland’s annual Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity – and in only their second year Redditch Wosp put on a stunning fund raising weekend of entertainment.
Organised by the town’s Polish community and held at Mettis Sports & Social Club over the weekend of January 13-14, the entire town got together to lend its support.
Sponsored by Mettis Aerospace the event aimed to beat last year’s £5,000 total by £3,000, a target which spokesman Frankie Prazer admitted was ‘a big ask’.
“I’m total speechless we seriously did not think we had raised that amount, and it’s still not sunk in.
“Over the two days organisers Monika Sedlak and Robert Jankowski and an array of volunteers ran table top sales, an auction and raffle, face painting, bouncy castle and selling T-shirts, Wosp merchandise and Polish Food,” added Frankie.
The event also had civic approval with the leader of Redditch Borough Council, Councillor Bill Hartnett, the Mayor of Redditch Jenny Wheeler and Coun Joe Baker opening proceedings on Sunday.
There was also music and dance with performers from as far afield as Doncaster and Huddersfield as well as Redditch, Bromsgrove and Kidderminster.
“We’d like to pay tribute to our volunteers and the sound and lighting people, all the public who attended and especially the Mettis Sports & Social Club bar staff,” said Frankie.
“We will be doing it again next year but this time it will be £15,000 and we are starting already to put things in motion. To find out more visit Wosp Redditch on Facebook or email [email protected].”
Poland doesn’t have a national health service and all the money raised by the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity will go to provide health care for sick children there.
