£1,985 added to Ray's fundraising total

Those aren’t my words but those of truly inspirational pensioner Ray Matthews as he reviewed a black tie dinner he organised to boost the coffers of his amazing marathon challenge.

The event, at the Crown Hotel, Bawtry, was Ray’s final fundraiser after he completed 75 marathons in 75 days to celebrate his 75th birthday to raise money for specialist facilities at Newman School.

Around 70 people attended and the event, which included a dinner, auction and question and answer to with the man himself, raised £1,985

Ray, of Maltby, said: “It was perfect. It just brought it all nicely to a close. I couldn’t have wished for it to have gone any better.

“I had some great comments about the format of the evening and I’m pleased with the total.”

Grandad-of-three Ray was joined by family and friends, Newman School staff and those who helped him throughout the challenge.

Mayor of Rotherham, Cllr Lyndsay Pitchley, and deputy mayor Cllr Eve Rose Keenan, and their consorts Alex Armitage and Pat Keenan were also present.

A raffle of festive prizes, an auction of sports memorabilia and some truly fantastic paintings by Ray drew in more than £1,000.

b2The rest of the cash came from ticket sales and Ray said he was pleased with the outcome.

He added: “I think the £1,985 will take the total for the online appeal to just below £30,000, but a lot of people have been taking bcheques direct to the school.

“The school have also done some of their own fund-raising so I won’t know the final total until the new year.”

During the question and answer session, Ray told how he found the mental strength to complete the challenge, linking it back to his boxing routes.

He also told the audience funny stories from the challenge \_ including getting chased through the streets by a woman who just wanted to donate £5.

Ray thanked his wife Maureen and the rest of his family for their support over the last year.

Ray’s online donation page will close on December 31. To donate before then visit www.goldengiving.com/fundraising/rwrr.

He will hand over the total amount raised to Newman School at a presentation in January.