The Merchant pub, on the High Street in Brentwood, is holding a fundraising extravaganza in aid of Revitalise, the respite care charity, over Easter Weekend. The event comes as a regular customer, Maria Faulkner, is due to take part in the London Marathon on Sunday 28th April for the charity.
Maria, who is already well into her training for the 26-mile feat, chose Revitalise after witnessing first-hand the invaluable support of respite care while caring for her daughter Chloe who suffered from cerebral palsy. Tragically, Chloe passed away in May 2017, but Maria is determined to support other families in a similar position.
Staff at the Merchant will be dressed in purple for the weekend in memory of Chloe, as it was her favourite colour. There will also be a raffle, with some exciting prizes to be won, and collection buckets have been dotted around the pub to encourage customers to give generously. Resident DJ, and Maria’s husband, Simon Faulkner, will be the spinning decks with his range of party tunes, from 9pm, Thursday to Sunday, as well.
Maria says: “It’s impossible for me to describe just how important respite care is. It goes such a long way in allowing families to enjoy their time together and to de-stress, even just a little bit, in what is often the most difficult time in people’s lives. I’m really proud to be supporting Revitalise and the amazing work that they do.
“My running group is helping me to train over the coming weeks, as well as supporting me in raising what I hope will be a pretty significant amount of money. Respite charities only receive limited government funding and they are often overlooked when it comes to fundraising efforts. I hope my endeavour goes some way to raising awareness for the importance of Revitalise too.”
Paul Marshall, Manager of The Merchant, says: “Maria and her husband are both very good friends of mine and I’m pleased that we can support her as she undertakes the marathon. I know how much this charity means to the two of them as well – so I hope all our customers will rally behind Maria and help her to raise as much money as possible.”
Where: The Merchant, 125-127 High Street, Brentwood CM14 4RX
When: Friday 19th April – Monday 22nd April
