Wirral casino team in the swim for cancer charity
Community spirited colleagues at a Wirral casino are going to great lengths for Clatterbridge Cancer Charity – they plan to swim a mile to raise funds.
A six-strong team from Genting Casino Wirral in Birkenhead is taking on the challenge on Friday 21 August as part of Genting’s 50th anniversary celebrations and hope to raise £500.
It’s a cause close to the heart of marketing advocate Diane Ryan who was treated for cancer at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre five years ago.
She’ll join colleagues David McAllister, Paul Gardiner, Stephen Twidale, Domini Webb and Daniel Houghton to swim 70 lengths of the pool between them at the Village Hotel in Bromborough.
Diane said: “We wanted to do something special to celebrate 50 years of Genting and came up with the idea of a ‘golden mile’ swim. We’ll each do 12 lengths of the pool to cover the distance. It’s a challenge for me as I’m not a great swimmer.
“I could not even do a length so I’m doing training swims every morning to get ready. It’s for a great cause as I know how important Clatterbridge is from personal experience and we also have another member of staff who is fighting cancer.”
Last year Diane and David McAllister raised almost £7,000 for the same cause in a sponsored bike ride from London to Paris. The money raised by the charity goes to research, equipment and support services for Clatterbridge cancer patients.
The casino in Oxton Road is hosting a 50th anniversary party night on Sunday 16 August where staff will be dressing on a gold theme and inviting customers to do the same.
The winners of a free prize draw will also be announced during the evening. The top prize is a stay at Resorts World Birmingham, a £150 million development which is the UK’s first integrated destination leisure complex and opens later this year.
It is 50 years since Genting’s founder Tan Sri Lim was inspired to create a hill resort during a visit to Cameron Highlands in Malaysia. Genting casinos around the UK are holding special events for the anniversary.