Guests were treated to a delicious three course meal and entertained with performances from the Voce choir and violinist, Paula Muldoon.

Over £50,000 was raised for the Wellington Appeal.

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Following in the steps of the numerous and successful charity ventures held by The Wellington Hospital, the Wellington played host to several of her sister hospitals with the inaugural Wellington Cup competition, (sponsored by HCL International). As with all other charity ventures, funds raised by the competition went to the Red Cross and JDRF charities.

Several teams entered with representatives from Corporate Head Offices/Prospect House, Lister Hospital, London Bridge Hospital and The Wellington Hospital, all vying for the chance to raise the trophy.

The initial round robin leagues saw the Wellington A-Team, the Lister Lions, the Corporate Dragons and Wellington Wonders all progress to the final stages with the two London Bridge teams taking early showers.

The semi-finals became long affairs with both games running into extra-time. The Wonders managed to overcome the Lions with a 2-1 win, whilst the A-Team lost to Corporate Dragons 3-4, and this coming after going 2-0 up in the first ten minutes of the game.

With time passing, darkness falling and the lift from the floodlights, the final between Corporate Dragons and The Wellington Wonders was a punishing affair. An early lead by the Wonders wasn’t taken advantage of and Corporate Dragons managed to peg one back in the second half. With a penalty shoot-out looming, the goal of the tournament was pulled out of no-where by Jamie Jones (Wellington Wonder) with a peach to the top left from 20 yards. However, the dogged attitude which the Dragons used to win their semi-final reappeared with a scrappy equaliser in the dying seconds of the game.

Penalties!

Nerves, determination and unsteady shooting saw misses, almost-saves and an eventual winner from Paul Redmond. The Wonders take the cup home!

The Wellington Wonders’ captain, Geoffrey Carino, was presented the trophy by HRH, (Human Resources Highness), Lavinia Zecca, and thanked his team, Edward Gee, Paul Redmond, Ryan Beelders, Jamie Jones, Stephen McCarthy, James Keeling and Conrad Lewis, (Golden Boot/Pichichi winner with seven goals) for their contributions and sacrifices. Well done to all who took part and played.

On Friday 20th May a group of would-be climbers met at London Heathrow ready to embark on the first leg of our journey that would see us conquer Britain’s highest peak.  After a relaxing day of food and whiskey tasting, we retired to bed early in preparation for the challenge which lay ahead.

We rose early on Saturday morning, being sure to have a hearty breakfast in anticipation of the 3,000 calories we were soon to burn. The forecast looked grim: the rain was pouring; there was talk of hail and temperatures of minus 15 degrees. But spirits were not to be dampened. We boarded the buses and set off to the foot of Ben Nevis where we were greeted by our guides.

After a group photo we commenced our challenge. It really was a journey through the harshest of the elements. To start with there was reasonable visibility, and as we hiked we had views over Loch Lomond. Nonetheless, the drizzle was relentless. The higher we got, the stronger the gusts of wind, the colder the air, and the more our faces burned. The terrain was varied – from gradual inclines to steep parts; loose rocks and smooth paths; the most gruelling, a punishing zigzag. As we neared the summit, visibility closed, the winds were wild and we ploughed through deep snow.

Mars Bars, Jelly Babies and the will to succeed spurred us on, and we finally arrived at the summit. Exhausted and elated, we got the all important photographic evidence of our achievement, and made attempts at eating our packed lunches (a real challenge in gloves and below freezing temperatures). As we perched under a ruined building, we reflected that we had all indeed made it.

Our ascent had been tough on the lungs and legs but our descent was to be harshest on the knees. Piercing painful sleet on our faces, we were utterly drenched.

We arrived back at the foot of the Ben all of us making it between 6 and 8 hours (now that we have conquered it our guides tell us we can call it the Ben!). We made our way in to the pub for a very well-earned pint and the comfort of armchairs.

After showers, massages, and a rest, we all met for a celebratory meal, wearily, but happily sharing stories, comparing blisters and broken phones. After an award ceremony, which included certificates for ‘A Touch of Class’ and ‘Best Fundraiser’, we danced the night away to a Ceilidh, bringing our aching limbs back to life to the dulcet sounds of the bagpipes. It really was a truly Scottish weekend.

Thank you to all the climbers who took part, not only for braving the elements, but for raising over £50,000 for the Wellington Appeal!

At 10.00 am the first group of brave fundraisers arrived at the hotel led by the CEO of the Wellington Hospital, Keith Hague. A valiant captain of his team, Keith was to be the first to descend. The instructors fitted him with the safety kit and he made his way to the roof of the twelve storey building.

Meanwhile, down below Sir Bernard welcomed the crowd.

On the roof, the joking and laughter gradually disappeared into the thin, fresh air at 120ft. Tension and adrenaline mounted. A briefing from the instructors, and Keith was on the edge of the Danubius. Three, Two, One, a smile to the camera, and Sir Bernard sounded the airhorn: the Wellington Appeal Abseil Challenge had started.

Keith scaled the wall in less than a minute, and was welcomed to the ground by an applauding crowd, a certificate, and a huge sense of achievement. The day had got off to a great start.

One by one the abseilers were escorted to the roof – some confident, some more nervous than they had ever been in their lives. But every single one of them successfully completed their challenge.

On day 2 of the abseil, Saturday 25^th June, the weather was not so kind.  But the enthusiastic abseilers’ sprits were not dampened. Mike Neeb, President of HCA International led Saturday’s descent. So smartly dressed in his tuxedo, he was reminiscent of Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible (although taller). A great show for the crowd below

Thank you to everyone who took part, and raised almost £5,000 for the British Red Cross and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Friday 24th September – Sunday 26th September COMPLETED!!!
On Friday 24th September 100 intrepid cyclists set forth from the outskirts of London to cycle through the pouring rain to Harwich, a distance of nearly 60miles. Spirits were high as our legs warmed up and the regular food and water stops were much appreciated. The passing wildlife greeted us with interest and drivers were surprisingly friendly towards the cyclists strung out across Britains B roads. The first night saw plenty of aching limbs, a lovely meal at The Pier and then an overnight ferry trip to the Hook of Holland.

As we sleepily departed our comfy cabins for the blustery but bright morning that awaited us in Holland we were reacquainted with our bikes and set out on the cycle paths amongst the dunes keen to reach Amsterdam in record time. We very soon realised the truth in the phrase ‘headwinds are the hills of Holland’ and discovered, to many cyclists detriment, the perils of tram lines. Several crashes later, but luckily no serious injuries, we took the wind face on, lowered our gears and pedalled like our lives depended on it. A long and very tiring day the beauty of the dunes did not escape us and we compared war wounds and photos in the luxurious surroundings of the Hotel Okura that evening. Dinner was an entertaining affair with speeches a plenty, beautiful food and the auctioning off of two signed but used cycling socks for £2,000! People’s commitment to the causes shone through and their strength in overcoming injury, sore legs and adverse winds was truly inspiring.

On the final day the slightly battered group rode triumphantly into Brussels, having only lost one brave member to the perils of the road after a nasty crash that cracked three ribs. Beer and frites were used by all to toast an incredible 3 days and 180 miles and then raised in celebration of the amazing money raised by all for two fantastic charities!

Thank you to all the riders who took part, especially the organiser Charles Rifkind and Wellington Hospital CEO Keith Hague, who all braved the elements and their saddles on the behalf of the Appeal and have raised nearly £300,000 to date alone!

You can still donate for this event, click here to give your donation today!

Two generous cyclists bid £1,000 each for one of an exclusive pair of socks kindly used and then donated by our host Charles Rifkind!

Two ‘stars’ Annie Lennox and Sam Thomas (type 1 diabetes sufferer) helped to launch the new Wellington £1million Appeal 2010 to support The British Red Cross and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. The two ‘stars’ each accepted £25,000 in cheques from the President and Chief Executive of HCA International , Mr Michael Neeb, who said he couldn’t think of two more deserving charities.

Sir Nicholas Young, Chairman of the British Red Cross talks to us about how HIV and AIDS are having a devastating effect on orphans and vulnerable children in South Africa. They have set up a programme to provide psychosocial support and counseling to help them understand and cope with severe trauma such as the death of parents, or psychological and physical abuse.

Sophie Thomas and her son Sam, talk to us about living with type 1 diabetes. This life threatening chronic condition has put enormous strain on Sophie’s family and here we see the impact this disease can have on everyday life. We also talk to Hannah Scott from Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) who exist to find the cure for type 1 diabetes and its complications.

The Wellington Appeal has partnered with VirginGiving to allow online donations to raise
£1 million for the British Red Cross and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund.

Please visit the donate page to make help support our appeal.