RUILS CHARITY NIGHT RAISES £17,000
The RUILS charity dinner at Richmond FC raised an amazing £17.000 as former top rugby union referee Wayne Barnes brought the house down with an endless flow of stories from his long and distinguished career, which ended with his role of referee for the World Cup Final between South Africa and New Zealand in France.
Wayne, who lives locally in Twickenham, has been a long standing supporter of RUILS – a local charity supporting disabled children and adults and people with long term health & mental health conditions to live independently, be part of their community and to live life to the full.
One of his favourite anecdotes was when he had to send off former England captain Martin Johnson. Wayne instinctively apologised and said: ‘I’m terribly sorry Mr Johnson’ to which the World Cup winner said: ‘Don’t worry it’s the only decision you’ve got right all night.’
Over 160 supporters enjoyed a supper with the opportunity to bid for Silent auction prizes and buy raffle tickets to support the charity.
A spokesperson said: “This was a fantastic evening and the money raised will help us to provide even more much-needed support in the community. We are massively grateful for all the support we have received.”
To learn more about the charity go to: https://www.ruils.co.uk/about-us/
