Fenland woman helps ukulele band smash fundraising target for life-saving air ambulance
A former Manea woman has helped the Upwood Ukuleles smash through another fund-raising target for Magpas Air Ambulance with their total to date reaching over £60,000 for the charity.
In fact, in the last year alone, they have raised £10,000 as they make up for two lost years of fundraising owing to the Covid pandemic.
They passed this fundraising milestone at a performance at Doddington Court Retirement Home recently when resident, Pam Hawes, who used to live in Manea presented a generous donation to the ban.
Pam said: “Everybody enjoys it so much when Upwood Ukuleles come – they are so entertaining. We can’t believe that they have raised so much money for such a worthy charity in such a short time.”
Doug McLeod, the UpU’s leader, said: “ It’s win-win all round as I see it. We love playing to our audiences. They seem to like listening to us and together we raise much needed funds for Magpas! The band members give of their time freely and don’t take any travelling expenses. All the performance fees and donations go straight to Magpas. We are constantly humbled by the level of donations received in our bucket at the end of our shows.It makes everything so worthwhile.”
When Doug and his wife, Pauline, took the money in to Magpas Air Ambulance offices they were greeted and thanked by Debbie Florence (Supporter Care Officer) and Emma Sanders(Community & Events Officer).
Debbie said: “We’re so very grateful for the continued support of the Upwood Ukuleles! The group are truly amazing, not only spreading the word of our lifesaving service in the communities that we serve, but also raising an astonishing amount of money simply by doing something they love.
The incredible £60,000 the Upwood Ukuleles have raised for Magpas Air Ambulance has helped keep our charity flying over the years and will continue to help us save lives in Cambridgeshire and beyond 24/7.”
The band are proving so popular that they are already fully booked for December 2023 but you can catch them at a couple of local events during the summer: Saturday 10 June Coates - Fete On The Green and Sunday 25 June Chatteris Midsummer Festival.
