Wigan Town Hall hosts charity cheque handover

Two charities are celebrating after being presented with cheques together worth more than £24,000.
Members of the local Parkinsons UK group receive their money from former mayor and mayoress, Coun Bill and Joan ClarkeMembers of the local Parkinsons UK group receive their money from former mayor and mayoress, Coun Bill and Joan Clarke
Members of the local Parkinsons UK group receive their money from former mayor and mayoress, Coun Bill and Joan Clarke

Two charities are celebrating after being presented with cheques together worth more than £24,000.

Representatives from Parkinson’s UK and Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), a children’s diabetes charity, gathered at Wigan Town Hall to receive the money which was raised by last year’s Mayor and Mayoress, Coun Bill Clarke and Joan Clarke throughout their term of office.

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Coun Clarke said: “I wanted to support these two charities because they do not have the high profile of some other charities, and it was important to me to make people more aware of both causes.

Coun Bill Clarke and wife Joan Clarke present representatives from JD.F with their chequeCoun Bill Clarke and wife Joan Clarke present representatives from JD.F with their cheque
Coun Bill Clarke and wife Joan Clarke present representatives from JD.F with their cheque

“It’s absolutely astonishing how much money we are able to hand over, and I am grateful to the council, members of the public, community groups and everybody else who held an event or donated or raised awareness in some way.

“The work that Parkinson’s UK and JDRF do on a daily basis is extremely important and the money we have handed over will go a long way in supporting these worthwhile causes, as well as helping children living with diabetes or Parkinson’s and their families.”

The money was raised in a number of ways, including the annual mayoral charity ball, charity evenings on board the Kittywake barge, donations collected in the Grand Arcade, fund-raising by council staff and donations from members of the public.

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Coun Clarke has lived in Ashton since 2007 and was elected to Wigan Council in 2012 as an Ashton councillor, and was deputy mayor before take up the mayoral office for 2017/2018.

He was succeeded by Coun Sue Greensmith and her consort Allen, whose fund for this year is Derian House Children’s Hospice.

Her deputy, Coun Steve Dawber, representative of Wigan West ward, is due to take the reins in May.