Ellesmere Port community group donate over £5,000 to local causes

Ellesmere Port Round Table are a group of men aged between 18 and 45 that get together a couple of times month to do something good for the community.

It is the local branch of the National Round Table, which is the largest voluntary organisation for young men in Great Britain and Ireland.

Its purpose is to bring together young men to make friends and contacts, get involved with the local community, support some great causes, learn new skills, try new experiences and enjoy some fantastic social events.

Last week, the men voted on several appeals they had received to donate to good causes within the local community of Ellesmere Port.

In total, they voted to donate £5,300.

A cheque for £3,000 was presented to Shaun Guy on behalf of his wife Kirsty, a young mum of two girls, who is bravely battling with cancer.

Kirsty and Shaun Guy with their two children

After hearing how incredibly strong both Kirsty and Shaun have been for their girls, the groups Chairman, Mark Howard, and everyone at Ellesmere Port Round Table thought that they would like to bring a little joy back into their world.

They decided they would like to send all four of them on dream trip Disneyland Paris this December, where they can make some lifelong memories together as a family.

Shaun said: "It was such a nice surprise to be given this donation from the lads at Ellesmere Round Table, which came out of the blue after they had contacted one of Kirsty’s best friends, after reading about Kirsty on the internet. 

"To say that we are all really grateful for this is an understatement."

A further £1,000 was donated to Poppy-mae Jones, who is a very brave young lady who, although having health issues of her own, has continually put others before herself and has been tirelessly raising funds for numbers of years, raising a sum of £16,000 for Alder Hey and The Countess of Chester Hospitals.

Poppy Jones doing her Easter fundraising earlier this year

She was recognised for these incredible efforts recently and was awarded The British Citizen Youth Award (BCyA), the presentation of which took place at the Palace of Westminster last month.

Sharon Jones, Poppy’s Mum said: "Firstly, I just wanted to say a huge thank you to absolutely everyone at Ellesmere Port Round Table.

"We are so grateful and proud that you have decided to help Poppy in her efforts to help others.”

An appeal came in from Shadazzles, a local dance and performing arts group asking for safety mats, so that their members can train safely.

The group decided that as this would benefit such a large number of local kids for several years to come, and that they would donate £800 to enable them to purchase the mats.

Chairman of the group, Mark Howard, said: "One of the many things that Ellesmere Port Round Table are here for is to make small, but meaningful donations to those people and organisations that are falling under the radar of other means of funding.

"Every penny of the money that we raise each year goes back into local community through any number of good causes and charities within the Ellesmere Port area.”

The newly formed under 11’s team at Ellesmere Port Town Football Club asked for a £500 donation, which would provide the whole team with a new kit, and again with this benefitting so many individuals the group were once again happy to provide this funding, partly in recognition of such a fantastic community orientated and family driven Club.

Mark added: "Ellesmere Port Round Table is different things to different people, and raising money for local good causes and charities is just one of the many things that we do. We are Rooted in the Community of Ellesmere Port.

"It’s not all just about raising funds and giving back. We also meet regularly for a drink and something to eat and generally have a good laugh."