Ripon Bowling Club does The Full Monty to support an amazing charity

Feature: Why Ripon's museums are leading the wayLast year alone, the club secured funds for Yorkshire Air Ambulance, Marie Curie, and meningitis and brain tumour charities. To do this, committee members and supporters organised a wide range of events at the club, which were really well-supported by Ripon residents.

One of these events was a surprise performance of The Full Monty from some of the members and committee on New Year’s Eve, which raised money for Candlelighters, a children’s cancer charity.

Raffles and a fun night on Christmas Eve helped to bring the bowling club’s fundraising total for Candlelighters up to an impressive £700.

Ripon's Oxfam shop urgently needs your help: here's how you can show your supportJulie Camplejohn, who has been the administration secretary for the club over the last eight years, said: “As a local club we feel very strongly about helping the local community as best we can - Ripon is a very community-minded place and the more people that can help, the better place it is to live.

“The lads who did The Full Monty show had been practicing for weeks, helped by Karen Margs. I think they wanted to entertain as well as get people to donate, which is why they chose The Full Monty. They kept the whole thing secret until the night, which made it even more special.”

The bowling club is a thriving community hub for Ripon, and a number of charities and groups use the club’s space for meetings and events - including the Middle of the Road charity, Ripon Lions, Ripon Fishing Club, and North Stainley Cricket Club.

Ripon City Plan: What it says about regenerating key areas of RiponThere are a lot of things the bowling club does for the community that some residents might not be aware of, including supporting the Ripon Salvation Army Christmas lunch, which provides a free meal for anyone who would otherwise be spending Christmas Day on their own.

Pictured are Tony Margs, club manager Mike Burgess, Colin Stanley, committee member Tony Pallister and Colin Featherstone.