Arundel Festival’s fundraiser set to be the ‘best yet’

Andy Heggadon and his wife Holly are delighted with the support for their Arundel Festival fundraiser L19051H11

What started as a low-key event held in the town’s pubs or restaurants many years ago, attended by just a handful of people, has gone from strength to strength, with last year’s evening notching up an impressive attendance of 160.

This year’s Festival Fundraiser on July 17 is going to be even more ambitious, with a sell-out crowd of 240 people expected to join the party in the lovely setting of Arundel Castle’s lower lawns for an evening of good food, great music and the chance to bid for or win more than 100 unique prizes in the auction and raffle, or on the gift trees.

The 2014 event is being sponsored by Andy and Holly Heggadon of Sparks Yard and they have not only set themselves the target of raising £10,000 on the night, but also hope to see the fundraiser become a major annual feature on the festival calendar.

“It was Holly’s idea originally to spread our wings and turn the fundraiser into a much bigger event, opening it up to more people in the town,” Andy explained. “Last year we thought about spaces where it could be held, initially talking about who had the biggest garden, but then we approached the castle with a view to holding it somewhere in the grounds.

“We were delighted when the answer was yes, as being there makes the evening really special and the only two events of their kind held there are the launch of the festival brochure and the fundraiser.”

Last year raised some £7,500 for the festival. And with tickets for this year’s event now all sold, a delighted Andy is confident he will easily surpass 2013’s total.“It’s fantastic that obviously there been such a great response and it just goes to show that everyone is behind the event and we’re really hopefully it will be a great success.”

Holly is equally passionate about the festival fundraiser. She said: “What better way could there be to raise money for the festival than in the grounds of the town’s own castle?”

Prizes in the raffle and auction lots include a Bailiffscourt spa day for two, Fontwell race day membership, Arundel Brewery beer club among others.