The Lord Palmerston on Forest Road in Walthamstow will be raising money for Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) throughout August and has called on the help of a former patient of the hospital to raise awareness of the fundraising activity.
Graham Hawks, licensee of the Lord Palmerston, has invited 16 year old Antoni Spooner who suffered from epilepsy and was treated at GOSH, to come to the pub on Saturday 11th August from 2pm until 5pm. Antoni will be bringing the Olympic torch that he carried through the borough of Waltham Forest on 21st July.
Customers of the pub are invited to bring their cameras and phones so that they can have the chance to have their photo taken with the torch. A small donation will be requested with all proceeds going to GOSH.
Graham Hawks, said: “We’re delighted that Antoni is coming along to the Lord Palmerston. He truly is an inspiration to so many people and has participated in a range of sports. He has represented Waltham Forest at the London Youth Games at both disability swimming and disability athletics where he won Gold for his performance in Javelin and Silver for the 200m. He has also been chosen to represent Essex at cricket, succeeding both as bowler and batsman.
“However, it is football where he has truly excelled. He is a core member of the Forest Challengers football team, representing them at disability tournaments and matches and he has represented the London FA and was selected to attend an advanced football training camp at Lilleshall.
“Jon Widdows, the person who nominated Anton to be an Olympic Torchbearer, said that Antoni is a great role model and if he continues to show the same drive and determination, his achievements will be even greater, perhaps a future Paralympian and I couldn’t agree more.
“We’d really like to encourage everyone to come down to the pub on Saturday and drop in a few pounds into the collection buckets and tins that will be placed in and around the pub. It would also be fantastic if people came and acknowledged the achievements of Antoni as I’m confident that we can expect even greater things from him in the future.”
The fundraising for GOSH is part of wider activity by the Stonegate Pub Company, the group that owns and operates the Lord Palmerston. Over 100 pubs and bars in London and the South East of England will be aiming to raise over £35,000 to buy the hospital a Newborn Bloodspot Screener, a piece of equipment that allows the screening of newborn babies for serious but rare genetic conditions such as congenital sickle cell disorders and cystic fibrosis.
Last year, the division raised over £95,000 for GOSH, helping to purchase a mobile anaesthetic machine.