THE Alma Public House at Heath End, played host to a family fun day in aid of Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice, and in memory of Brian Jones, who sadly passed away in the hospice in 2014 from pancreatic cancer.

This was the third year The Alma has hosted an event such as this, the first anniversary of Brian’s passing was marked by a barbecue at the pub, then the family decided to go one step further by raising as much money as possible for this worthy cause, so a fun day was organised for 2016.

The weather was not on their side last year, but the event still managed to raise around £1,300.

This year’s event was blessed with fine, warm weather which drew in a lot more people, with regular customers of the pub rallying around to help, donating tombola prizes and so forth.

Special thanks go to Mark Woods and Mark Livingstone for making amusing stalls for the visitors to try their hand at winning a prize, to Maurice Savill for designing advertising posters and keeping people informed, and to Neil Ascot for his generosity.

Local businesses were most generous with their donations, including Four Season Fuels, Crookham Electrical Services, Dave’s Fish and Chips, Lucie Harrington Hairdressers, Co-Op Heath End, Neal’s Yard Remedies and Allison Townsend, Lion and Lamb. Tesco, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose were also among those keen to help out.

Along with most of the regulars, many new faces came along to show their support helping to raise more than £2,000 for Phyllis Tuckwell.

Thanks to Mark Turner Butchers, the barbecue proved to be very popular, endlessly serving tasty burgers and sausages.

Brian’s family, including brother-in-law, Mark Goddard, would like to thank everybody for their support especially, Matthew and Stevie-Ann for letting them take over their pub:

“Without your help, this event would not have taken place, let alone raised so much money for such a worthwhile cause.

“Thank you once again from all of Brian’s family, for your generosity, it’s appreciated so much more than words can say.”