Bulldogs hand over more than £4,760 to Breast Cancer Now

FUND-RAISING: Bradford Bulldogs’ players Connor Medley (left) and Sam Bolwell (right), join team manager and Bulldogs secretary Joanne Gibson in handing over the cheque for just over £4,760 to Breast Cancer Now volunteer Suzanne Haythorne.

BRADFORD BULLDOGS finally got to hand over a cheque for more than £4,760 to Breast Cancer Now following last year’s brilliant Charity Game Day at Bradford Ice Arena.

Two teams of Bulldogs past and present took to the ice on a memorable day in August which saw more than 300 people come through the door to help with the fund-raising effort for such a worthy cause.

Suzanne Haythorne, a volunteer with Breast Cancer Now, came down to the rink on Saturday and shortly before face-off for the Bulldogs’ NIHL game against Coventry Blaze was presented with a cheque for the full amount of £4,760.47 as well as a game-worn jersey from the day itself.

The money was raised through various means on the day including ticket sales, raffles, sales of cakes, sweets and custom-made Bulldogs’ merchandise.
Later on, several game-worn shirts worn by players including Kieran Brown, Adam Barnes, Jordan Griffin, Harrison Walker and Lewis Baldwin - all now playing for Leeds Knights in NIHL National - were auctioned off online, while money was also raised through an online Just Giving page.

SHIRT OFF YOUR BACK: Bradford Bulldogs’ players Connor Medley (left) and Sam Bolwell (right) and team manager and Bulldogs secretary Joanne Gibson (second left) present a game-worn jersey to Breast Cancer Now volunteer Suzanne Haythorne.

Joanne Gibson said the event had been a huge success with the possibility for more fund-raising dates for charities in the future.

"It was great to officially hand over the cheque to Breast Cancer Now and invite them down for the game against Coventry," said Bulldogs' secretary and NIHL team manager Joanne Gibson. 

"We were overwhelmed by the support we received on the day for the charity game, as well as the generosity we saw through the subsequent game-worn jerseys that were auctioned off. 

"So many people put in such a lot of hard work to make it all possible, from the players down to the matchday volunteers and the people going around with collecting tins, running the raffle, selling cakes, sweets and other merchandise. 

"It was all for such a great cause and one that is close to a number of peoples hearts at the club.

"Breast Cancer Now do such great work in this area - as do so many other charities - and we hope the money we have been able to raise can in some small way go towards helping the many people who unfortunately still suffer from this terrible disease."

RAISING MONEY: Bulldogs past and present took to the ice to raise money for Breast Cancer Now back in August.

Anna Hadjivassiliou, Community Fundraising Executive at Breast Cancer Now, said: “We want to say a huge thank you to the Bradford Bulldogs for organising their charity ice hockey match and raising such an incredible total to raise vital funds for Breast Cancer Now. 

“We have been so blown away by their amazing support and really can’t thank them enough for all the hard work that you put into this fundraising.

“Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the UK, with around 55,000 women and 370 men diagnosed every year. Supporting those affected has never been more important.

“Our ambition is that, by 2050, everyone who develops breast cancer will live and be supported to live well. We can only achieve this through the generous donations of our supporters.”