A family fun day is being held at a newly-refurbished bowling alley to raise money for children with life-threatening illnesses.
Tenpin Derby, in Osmaston Park Road, has arranged the event on Saturday, May 26, for the East Midlands-based charity When You Wish Upon A Star.
The family entertainment centre in Forester’s Leisure Park will welcome a balloon modeller, face painters and Wish Bear, the charity’s mascot, is also one of the special guests. There will also be an appearance from a Spider-man look-a-like – Web Slinger – and the princess from Beauty and the Beast will be joining in the fun.
When You Wish Upon a Star has been granting wishes to children living with life-limiting illnesses since 1990 and the charity has organised thousands of memorable experiences, such as Harry Potter-themed days-out and an annual trip to Lapland.
Donna Walsh, general manageress at Tenpin Derby, said: “We are delighted to be supporting such a worthy cause. “We are a family establishment and we feel that it’s only right to do what we can for a charity which makes such a huge difference to the lives of some of the region’s most poorly children.”
The match was organised by the bowling centre in Forester’s Park who invited the Mayor of Derby, Councillor John Whitby, to put together an all-male team and take on an all-female team captained by his wife, Juliette. For every strike scored on the evening Tenpin agreed to donate £10 to the Mayor’s chosen charity and after a hard-fought match, the Mayoress’s team were crowned the winners, while a total of £640 was raised.
Mr Whitby said: “I think both our teams were fairly evening matched – in that neither were very good – but the stakes were high and the pressure was on. Luckily Tenpin agreed to donate £500 on top of our £10 per strike, so in the end we raised a significant amount, despite our lack of bowling skills.”
Also lining up for the Mayoress’s team was Derby County mascot Ewie, while Rammie took his place on the Mayor’s team. Representatives from the charity, which is one of five charities being supported by the Mayor during his year in office, made up the rest of the teams.
