PICTURES: Inverness restaurant raises £23k for charity during Cheltenham Festival race week
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Horse racing fans cheered on their favourites at Cheltenham at a charity fundraising event in an Inverness restaurant.
This year’s Cheltenham Festival race week at Cafe 1 raised £23,398 for Highland Hospice.
The event – now in its 20th year – was fully subscribed with 280 “punters” many of whom dressed up for the occasion.
Throughout the week, the enthusiastic race watchers got caught up in the excitement and cheered on their horses as well as enjoying good food.
Restaurant owner Norman MacDonald was delighted with the amount raised.
“The reality with the current climate is that it is absolutely amazing and it just shows what people are prepared to do for a good cause,” he said.
“It really shows Highlanders at their absolute best.
“The atmosphere was great. Everyone dressed up. Everyone was in really great spirits. It really put the fun in fundraising.”
He said over the 20 years, the event has raised more than £400,000 for Highland Hospice.
Mr MacDonald said subscribers showed massive generosity and no one who gambled on their sweepstakes walked out with a fortune.
“All the money gambled is guaranteed to go towards palliative care and no one is leaving with money in their pockets,” he said.
“The event has a definite air of ‘that’s the winter over and summer’s on the way’, and people find a way to take part even though it is in the middle of the working week.”
