Pink Floyd drummer's event raises £200,000 for charities
A record £200,000 has been raised for emergency services during an annual charity event at the home of Pink Floyd's drummer, organisers say.More than 15,000 people visited the home of Nick and Annette Mason, at Middlewick House near Corsham, Wiltshire, from 7 to 8 June, during which Mason signed autographs and posed for pictures.The money will go towards Wiltshire and Bath Air Ambulance Charity and the Wiltshire Bobby Van Trust, which provides free home security for vulnerable people.Wiltshire and Bath Air Ambulance deputy chief executive Barbara Gray said: "This year... was the largest event of all time, with a record attendance and an incredible amount raised for the two charities."
While organisers put new traffic measures in place for this year's event, the popularity of the fundraiser ended with people stuck in traffic for hours as they tried to leave.Organisers have since apologised for the travel issues, but described the event as a success, with the money generated enough to keep Wiltshire and Bath Air Ambulance flying for an entire week and help fund an operator's work in the community for The Wiltshire Bobby Van Trust for an entire year.
Visitors at the event were able to admire Mason's collection of sports cars, with local branches of car clubs adding to the vehicles on show, including Jaguar, Lotus, Ferrari, and Porsche.A Wiltshire and Bath Air Ambulance helicopter was also on display, remaining operational over the weekend.The charity has been running for 35 years and provides medical care by land and air, across Wiltshire and Bath.The Wiltshire Bobby Van Trust was established in 1998 to work with Wiltshire Police to provide a home security service for elderly and vulnerable people throughout the county.Director of The Wiltshire Bobby Van Trust, Jennie Shaw, said: "We are so thankful for the support of the residents in Pickwick and Middlewick Lane because without their understanding, this event would not happen."Middlewick House Open Garden has been running since 2013 and gets bigger and bigger every year. We are already looking at the feedback from this year's event to make further improvements in 2026."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
11 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Lotus in urgent talks with business secretary but has ‘no plans' to shut Norfolk factory
The UK business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, is holding urgent talks with the management of Lotus, as the British sportscar maker insisted that it had no intentions of shutting its Norfolk factory. The emergency meeting was understood to be under way on Sunday morning. Reynolds contacted Lotus bosses after it emerged that it was considering ending production of its sportscars in the UK and moving it to the US – a move that would jeopardise 1,300 jobs. Lotus's Chinese owner, Geely, was thought to be looking at options including manufacturing its Emira sportscar in the US, and permanently stopping production at its factory in Hethel, Norfolk. Such a decision by a prestige brand would be embarrassing for the government. Labour's industrial strategy, published last week, singled out automotive production as among the strategic sectors it wants to support. In a statement on Saturday, Lotus insisted 'the UK is the heart of the Lotus brand', and its largest commercial market in Europe. It said: 'Lotus Cars is continuing normal operations, and there are no plans to close the factory. We are actively exploring strategic options to enhance efficiency and ensure global competitiveness in the evolving market.' Lotus paused production at the Hethel factory in mid-May to manage inventories and supply chain issues caused by the US's extra 25% tariffs on car imports. Other UK carmakers halted exports to the US but have since resumed them, while waiting for a UK-US trade deal reached on 8 May to be implemented. On Monday, US tariffs are due to be reduced to 10%. Lotus has the capacity to manufacture up to 5,000 Emira sports cars a year, which have a starting price of £75,000, at the Norfolk factory. About 60% of them are shipped to the US. It also makes an electric hypercar at the site in smaller numbers, which is priced at £2.3m plus. Ben Goldsborough, the Labour MP for south Norfolk, said on Facebook he was 'deeply concerned' by the rumours surrounding a potential closure of Lotus's Hethel facility. He said he had held telephone conversations with the management team and government ministers to 'emphasise just how vital this site is – not only to the heritage of British automotive engineering, but to the local economy and skilled workforce that call Hethel home'. Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion 'These early-stage conversations have confirmed the seriousness of the situation,' he said, vowing to champion every feasible avenue including financial support, incentives and strategic partnerships. Qingfeng Feng, the chief executive of Lotus Technology, told investors this week that the company was looking at shifting production to the US. 'At this moment, we are discussing with our strategic partners in the US on localisation plans in order to avoid the influence of the US tariff,' he said, according to a transcript of the call hosted by the data company Alphasense. 'With our strategic partners, we had an in-depth discussion around our US landscape and we believe localisation is a feasible plan.'
The Guardian
12 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Wes Streeting calls 'death to IDF' chants at Glastonbury festival ‘revolting'
Chants of about Israeli military at Glastonbury were 'revolting' and the BBC and the festival have questions to answer, Wes Streeting has said, while adding that Israel needs to 'get its own house in order'. The health secretary said the chanting should not have been broadcast to those watching at home, highlighting that Israelis at a similar music festival were kidnapped, murdered and raped
BBC News
21 minutes ago
- BBC News
Swindon motorbike convoy escort bullied teen to prom
A student who was bullied at school was given a night to remember when about 1,000 people on motorbikes showed up in solidarity to escort him to his posted an appeal online seeking support from the biking community in Swindon, Wiltshire, to help his son Josh end secondary school "on a high note". The 16-year-old arrived to prom in style on Friday after years of being "relentlessly bullied" by his peers for "being different".His father said: "We wanted him to have an end to the school chapter in his life with a bang, and not be overshadowed by all the negative". The gesture caught the attention of motorists from across the globe, with messages of support flooding in from Australia, South Africa, USA and China."The response has been absolutely immense," Craig told BBC Radio Wiltshire. "We've had messages from all around the UK, even people internationally contacting us saying they're following the story."The family said the incredible turnout had "restored our faith in humanity", and proved that "bikers really are a family". Having just completed his GCSE exams, Josh plans to attend college with the goal of becoming a paediatric therapist to support children with physical, developmental, or psychological teenager, who celebrated his 16th birthday on Saturday, said he felt "over the moon" to experience what he described as a "once in a lifetime opportunity"."I never thought it would blow up this much," he said."Initially when this post went out, I wanted only two dozen bikers at the limit. I never thought it would reach internationally."My heart is full for these bikers and all the people sending their love." His mother Frances said she was determined to show Josh love will always triumph over hate."It shows Josh there is support from so many people," she said. "Even if he feels alone some days, he doesn't realise how many people have his back."
