Back by popular demand: Annual Christmas lunch raises thousands for Dorset charities

QuoStar’s annual Christmas lunch has raised more than £16,000 for four Dorset charities.

Dec 09, 2022

An inspiring talk from Olympic gold medallist James Cracknell OBE, auctions, raffle and festivities at AFC Bournemouth’s Vitality Stadium has helped bring in valuable funds for AFC Bournemouth Cherries Community Fund, Dorset Mind, Lewis Manning Hospice Care, and MYTIME Young Carers.

Over 180 guests came along to enjoy our fifth year of festivities on 25 November, after a pause during Covid-19. The atmosphere at the event was fantastic, with a heart-warming speech by James Cracknell OBE, winner of two Olympic Gold Medals and six World Championship titles.

Auction prizes, which were donated by the charities and partners, included a training ground experience at AFC Bournemouth, signed Tyson Fury boxing gloves, a guided tour of Sky TV & Studio and a four-hour Sunseeker boat experience.

We’ve had some great feedback from partners and the charities:

Rob Mitchell, Commercial Director at AFC Bournemouth said: “Thank you to our official AFC Business partners, QuoStar, for hosting their Christmas charity lunch. We had a very entertaining afternoon and it was fantastic that almost £16,000 was raised for the chosen charities, including the Cherries Community Fund.”

Linda O’Sullivan, CEO at Dorset Mind said: “Your donation and support has been inspirational. Thank you super stars at QuoStar!”

Nicki Cluley of Lewis-Manning Hospice Care added: “It was absolutely fantastic seeing so many coming together and raising so much money for so many wonderful charities. We were especially delighted to raise £2200 thanks to the auction prize of the Sunseeker. You’ll all be pleased to know that our patients will getting the ‘Bags of Kindness’ this year thanks to your help.”

Tim Sills from MYTIME Young Carers said: “Absolutely amazing amount raised. Huge congratulations for how successful and brilliant the event was and thank you for your support as always.”

James Stelfox, Managing Director at QuoStar:

“It was a wonderful afternoon celebrating the start of the festive season with our partners. We would like to thank all the guests who supported the lunch and to everyone who helped us make a positive difference to local charities across our community.

The Dorset community is close to QuoStar’s heart, and we always do our best to give back to organisations that play a critical role for many people in the region. We’re extremely grateful that our annual lunch has once again raised an incredible amount that will help support the wonderful work of these charities over Christmas and all year round.”