THE 2017 Farnham Pilgrim Marathon, organised by the Farnham Weyside Rotary Club raised considerable sums of money - and last week the club organised a social evening to distribute these funds to a number of local charities.

Hosting the meeting, Rotarian Brian Lowe outlined the many activities Farnham Weyside get involved in expressed gratitude for all the help given by the guests in making these activities successful. He went on to encourage charities to work with Rotary in developing their own activities.

The deputy mayor of Farnham, David Attfield, presented the donations to representatives of 10 charities who provided practical help during the marathon. They were:

• The Milford and Villages Day Centre, nominated by Bill Biddell, Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Surrey and managing director of Hampton Estates, across whose land the marathon runs.

• Woodlarks Campsite.

• Frensham Pond Sailability.

• Farnham District Scouts.

• Crisis, nominated by Ian Carley, designer of the marathon t-shirts and logo, and shared with the Step By Step Partnership.

• Seale and Sands Churches and Parish Council.

• Bells Piece Leonard Cheshire Disability service.

• Farnham Brass Band.

• The Woodlarks Centre.

• Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice, nominated by Barry Smith of Sandy Farm Business Park.

After thanking the sponsors, the Farnham Herald, BBS, Specsavers, Alton Sports and Fyffes Bananas, and important supporters, including Katy Fielding of the Surrey Wildlife Trust and David Gill of the Farnham Sports Council, Brian Lowe went on to conclude the evening with the presentation of Rotary’s highest award, the Paul Harris Award, to Dave Porter, who has been central to the organisation of the event, and is himself a runner.

For more information about Farnham Weyside Rotary Club, see www.farnhamweyside.org.uk, or contact the secretary on 01252 715048, or by email at [email protected]