Boules boost for Maggie’s

The ninth Summerfield Taunton Boules Tournament began unpromisingly damp but soon dried up as play got underway. 40 teams from in and around Taunton enjoyed some very competitive boules whilst enjoying a bit of networking and a buffet lunch at Taunton Vale Sports Centre.

This year the event was in aid of Maggie Keswick Jencks Cancer Centres. Ilaria De Valeri of Maggie’s told the gathering about the centres, all within easy reach of hospitals, where patients and their families can stay for as long as they like in beautiful and relaxing surroundings, supported by experienced staff and advisers. They plan to build a Maggie’s centre adjacent to Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton.

Ben Trickey, Commercial Director at Summerfield, said

“Summerfield would like to thank the businesses that have supported us and our Boules Tournament again this year. A fine turnout of some excellent local and regional businesses has enabled us to raise much needed funds for Maggie’s, which was voted by the Summerfield staff as our charity of the year for 2019. The figure was then topped up by Summerfield to bring it up to a total of £3,250.”

Katherine France, Maggie’s Head of Fundraising, said

“We would like to thank everyone who took part and raised such a fantastic amount. As 1 in 2 people will now face cancer in their lifetime, Maggie’s cancer support is needed now more than ever. Your generous donations will help us to reach even more people who need us.”

The colourful ‘Rule Brettania’ team from Peter Brett took the fancy dress prize, with an honourable mention for the ‘gilets jaunes’ of Ashfords Solicitors.

It was an all-bank Wooden Spoon final, with Natwest taking the prize from Handelsbanken.

Chartered Accountants Albert Goodman defeated Croft Surveyors’ ‘Boulepark Figures’ to take the Plate, and solicitors Foot Anstey’s ‘HyperBOULEE’ team held their nerve to take the Cup after beating Chartered Accounts PKF Francis Clark in a tense but enjoyable final.

Mark Blackwell, Summerfield Developments’ Managing Director, said

“The Boules Tournament has become a much-anticipated fixture in the Taunton calendar. It is a pleasure to give local companies the chance to get together and at the same time support a worthy charity aiming to provide a facility which will be so appreciated by the people of Taunton and the surrounding area.”

To register interest in next year’s Boules event, please email Gill Ellis at Summerfield and to find out more about Maggie’s please visit their web site.

Main picture shows Cup Winners Duncan Sykes, Tim Taylor, Chris Mullet and Richard Walford of Foot Anstey’s ‘HyperBOULEE’ team with Summerfield’s Managing Director Mark Blackwell.

Boules tournament results in record bloodletting!

With the proceeds of Summerfield’s Boules Tournament, held in September 2018, the Somerset Prostate Support Association (SPSA) was able to take blood samples from 177 men at an event at St James’ Church Hall, Taunton, on Saturday 20th October 2018.  The testing was part of a national programme sponsored by the Graham Fulford Charitable Trust to provide early diagnosis of prostate cancer, a disease that affects some 40,000 men in the UK each year.

SPSA is run entirely by volunteers and, in conjunction with the Graham Fulford Trust, they regularly organise such events, co-ordinating medical professionals, laboratory analysis, venue and publicity. This occasion was the first time they used an appointment system, though they were also able to accommodate 40 ‘walk-ins’ on the day, and the total number attending was a record for them,

Simon Beck was one of those tested and he said:

“I was in St James church hall in Taunton October 20 and my PSA test result was red (6.5) and I shall have the biopsy November 29, then the results December 10.  What should we be doing to encourage men to get tested? I can reach quite a lot of people using facebook, but exactly how to do it, I’m unsure. Thanks for your help anyway, you people might just have saved my life, I’m going to ask them to remove it if there’s any indication of cancer!”

We were relieved to hear from him subsequently:

“Sample biopsy failed to find any cancer, just an enlarged prostate, so all well for the time being, exactly what I suspected for some years.”

Mr Beck kindly allowed us to quote him and waived his anonymity on the grounds of “the fact I was being tested is all over my facebook page!”

For more information on prostate cancer and PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) blood testing please visit SPSA’s and the Graham Fulford Trust’s web sites: http://www.somersetprostatecancer.org.uk/ and https://psatests.org.uk/