ALL Blacks legend Zinzan Brooke visited Kirkby Lonsdale to join the town's successful rugby club in raising funds and awareness for the Wooden Spoon – the children's charity of rugby.
For Kirkby Lonsdale RUFC it was a fitting way to round off their season of unprecedented success in which they won their league title at a canter by winning every game.
The evening commenced with John Cunningham, chairman of Cumbria Wooden Spoon, welcoming more than 150 guests and giving a short introduction to the charity. The ‘Spoon’ is a rugby-based charity dedicated to raising funds for mentally, physically and socially disadvantaged children.
The guests then moved into the marquee for a three course meal. Zinzan Brooke captivated the audience detailing his journey from a small north island rural community to All Black great – he was part of New Zealand's 1987 World Cup winning squad – and then moved into a question and answer with special guest and England great Rory Underwood.
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An auction brought the evening’s entertainment to a close and with lots donated from the likes of Jonny Wilkinson, Stuart Lancaster, and Rory Underwood - it was a tremendous success with more than £5,000 raised to support disadvantaged Cumbrian children.
The charity was established in 1983 and has now raised £24 million nationwide. These funds have gone into 650 projects benefitting over one million children and counting.
To date Cumbria Spoon has raised in excess of £150,000 for a variety of projects across the county. These include a sensory room for Eden Valley children’s hospice in Carlisle, a recreation room for Friends of Kendal Deaf Centre, a specialised minibus for Bendrigg Lodge, two modified sailing yachts for disabled sailors for Blackwell Sailing in Windermere, and a Nurture Room for Flimby Primary School, near Maryport.
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