THE Bourne Royal British Legion Bowls Club raised £600 for Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice.

The club raised the donation through their ’Powder Puff’ day, an annual event which was started in 1998. On the day, ladies from other clubs were invited for a fun afternoon of bowling in a ‘spoon drive’, in which they compete against each other for individual winner and runner up prizes, as well as the coveted ‘Powder Puff’ – the booby prize.

This year, ladies from other clubs including Petersfield, West Wittering, Rogate and Castle Green joined together to participate in games such as the ‘spider’ (re-named a ‘ladybird’, as it is a ladies competition) where players surround the green and when the bell is rung, each bowls to the ladybird in the middle of the green, the winner being the player whose bowl ends up nearest the ladybird.

The individual winner on the day was Marion Corbett from Wittering and District, while the runner up was Benny Maynard from Odiham. Sue Dickie from Cove won the Powder Puff, and the Champagne raffle winner was Ross Hanbury from Wittering and District.

Since the ‘Powder Puff’ day was started in 1998, it has raised thousands of pounds for various charities, including Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice Care, which has received more than £2,000 from the club.

Ashleigh Tennent, community fundraising manager at Phyllis Tuckwell said: “We would like to say a big thank you to Bourne RBL Bowls Club and everyone who took part in the ‘Powder Puff’ day.”

The hospice will now be opening its doors from 2pm until 4pm on Tuesday, November 3, and every Tuesday thereafter, for its new open house afternoon.

Anybody who would like to find out more about the care and support which the charity offers to those facing a serious progressive illness, such as cancer, motor neurone disease or lung disease, is welcome to drop in. Staff and volunteers will be on hand to greet visitors and answer any questions they may have.

These open house afternoons will coincide with the last hour of the charity’s Tuesday day hospice sessions, which run from 10am to 3pm. The overlap will give those visiting an opportunity to see how a day hospice session runs, as well as being able to meet and chat with the nurses there and see the hospice building and facilities.

For more information about the open house sessions call Karen McEvoy on 01252 729411 or email [email protected].