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Southend-on-Sea Round Table 106
Fundraising
Like everyone else within RTBI, Southend 106 Tablers watched with complete horror and disbelief the news and images emerging out of South East Asia on Boxing Day.
As a table, they were quick to react, sending £7500 to Marchesi House within hours of receiving the communications from Gary Smith and Adrian Gibbons. But then the day before New Years Eve, a phone call was received to their hotline number from a local resident that sparked the most remarkable and rapid chain of events:
30 December: Local musician Bob Groome calls the hotline and speaks with 106 member Steve Castle. Bob wants to play his music in Southend High Street next weekend to raise money for Tsunami but hasn't a clue of how to make this happen.
31 December: Steve e-mails his fellow Tablers and asks the question – can this be done in just 8
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3 January: In such a short space of time Gary reports back that he has confirmed and more importantly got donated ……. a 60ft sound rig and staging, lighting, a sound system, a TV production crew to film it, local MP Sir Teddy Taylor to open the event and last but certainly not least the use of a 50ft high video screen. On top of this, a local record company has heard what's going on and volunteers the services of eight top quality local bands.
4 January: Gary meets with the local council and presents the plan, the go ahead is duly given without hesitation. That night, Tablers and contractors meet up in a local pub (where else!) to discuss the event, the result being an extra six bands join the line up (14 now in total), including Fisticuffs, a local band made up of five Southend Tablers who appeared at conference in 2004.
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8 January: 11am - Tabler Mat Osborne welcomes on stage the first out of fourteen bands to play and the show is underway. 14 bands later and with the weather holding off all day, just after 7pm Southend Round Table proudly announces to the gathered crowd that this very special event has raised £8500 for Round Tables India and Sri Lanka.
Southend RT Chairman, Andy Worsfold said “The support from members and their families of; 41 Club, Ladies Circle and other Area 33 Tables was absolutely superb today. The High Street all day was just mobbed by an endless stream of volunteers wearing luminous yellow and orange table tabards. Whilst raising the money was important, I thought the fun, fellowship and teamwork in evidence here today was the highlight of my day”.
Musician Bob Groome said “I had seen Round Table in the High Street promoting their annual fireworks show, so I thought they'd be a good place to start. However, when I met them for the first time in the week, my Wife and I were overwhelmed by their enthusiasm and drive to get this event off the ground. What Table has organised here today is nothing short of amazing. What a team!”.
Mat Osborne
