A Thirsk man is celebrating after winning a brand-new car, as part of a charitable initiative that raised more than £28,000 for a local charity.
Andy Billany won the Peugeot 208, which was supplied by Simon Bailes Peugeot, in a raffle to raise vital funds for the Friends of the Friarage – a charity that supports Northallerton’s Friarage Hospital.
Andy’s luck came in at the recent Barn that Rocks live music fundraiser when his ticket was drawn by Peter Wright, star of TV’’s The Yorkshire Vet. The Barn that Rocks is an annual event organised by Peter Fall and hosted at Grazing Nook Farm near Patrick Brompton. This year’s fundraiser, now in its ninth year, was a sell-out, attracting more than 800 people.
Andy bought the winning raffle ticket while attending the recent Northallerton 10k where the car was on show, as part of the event’s day of fundraising for another Northallerton-based cause, the Pendragon Community Trust, which supports a specialist multi-sensory centre.
He said: “I couldn’t believe it when my name was announced, which was a complete shock! I am thrilled with my new Peugeot 208 and to win it was the icing on the cake, following a nice day out at the Northallerton 10k.”
Donna Jermyn, Chairman of the Friends of the Friarage, said “I would like to thank everybody involved in organising the raffle, the generosity of local businesses, those who contributed raffle prizes and everybody who purchased tickets.
“A special heartfelt thanks goes to Peter and Barbara Fall. All of the money raised will go to the Friends of the Friarage and will be spent at The Friarage Hospital for the benefit of the people of Northallerton and the surrounding area.”
“We will make further announcements as to how the money is going to be spent. We have been amazed by people getting involved in raising money, and we are looking at further projects to connect local people with their hospital.”
Simon Bailes, CEO of Simon Bailes Peugeot, added: “I would like to congratulate Andy on winning the raffle and wish him many years of motoring pleasure with his brand-new Peugeot 208. We have been longstanding supporters of both the Friends of the Friarage and Pendragon Community Trust, which are both fantastic community causes. I am looking forward to supporting them and their associated events in the future.”