Foden's Donate Funds to Whit Friday
Following the runaway success of the Foden's Online Whit Friday contest, and the generosity of participants and audience members, the event has raised over £4,000 to be split evenly between the Tameside and Saddleworth Organising Committees to help the return their traditional events in 2022. Bob Rodgers, Chairman of the organisers of the Saddleworth & Oldham Whit Friday contests, was presented with a cheque raised a total of £4040.78 by Darren Lea (event organiser) and Michael Fowles (contest adjudicator).
The donation has provided another much needed boost for Saddleworth & Oldham Whit Friday events following their Queen's Award for Voluntary Service, which marked the work of the 300 plus volunteers who have run the contests over the years. Commenting on the donation Bob said, "It gives me great pleasure to accept this cheque. The money will boost our ever-decreasing funds and ensure we are able to cover the necessary on-costs without putting pressure on individual contests. With the money in the bank we can now look forward to planning a great 2022 contest series.
"I would like to thank Foden's for providing us all with such a wonderful contest to enjoy in the comfort of our own homes. A great deal of hard work must have gone into this production and it was so good to hear those familiar Whit Friday sounds once again."
Speaking on behalf of the 'Friends of Tameside Whit Friday Contest Committee', Adam Pickles stated, "It's a privilege to have been part of the Foden's online contest which was a huge success. The donations will help towards the smooth running and the longevity of the Tameside contests in years to come. We would like to thank all the bands that took part and we hope to see everyone at the Tameside events in 2022."
Although live contests were not possible this year Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council continued its financial support for the events by awarding £600 in prize money for the Youth Section category. Speaking about their support, Tameside Council's Executive Member for Culture, Cllr Leanne Feeley, said, "We were delighted to be able to offer the prizes. Youth players will be the backbone of banding in the future and through the youth prizes we are supporting banding at a fundamental level."
Foden's Band Manager Mark Wilkinson was also keen to add thanks stating, "Foden's would like to thank the various bands, sponsors and individuals who supported this year's event. It was a resounding success and showed just how much people value the Whit Friday tradition."
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