Sir Alex leads fund raiser for child charity (From Warrington Guardian)

Sir Alex leads fund raiser for child charity

A CHILDREN'S adventure park near Lymm will benefit from a cash injection of £34,000 thanks to a fundraising dinner headlined by Sir Alex Ferguson.

The Reds' boss kept guests at Mere Golf and Country Club captive with a humorous speech.

The money raised will go to The Children's Adventure Farm Trust, a charity that provides holidays and activities for terminally ill and disabled children from all over the north west.

Diners dug deep during the auction, which saw a day watching Manchester Utd and a private meeting with Sir Alex snapped up along with a lifetime membership to the golf club.

Raffle prizes included flights to Las Vegas and tickets to the Paris Tennis Open.

Also at the evening was England scrum half and ITV rugby commentator Steve Smith who amused the audience with tales from the pitch, and Dr Kevin Smith, consultant physician, who gave a talk on hospital humour.

Mere owner and organiser Mark Boler said: "Both myself and the fundraisers from the Children's Adventure Farm were taken aback by the amount raised on the evening.

"It really was a wonderful evening, our guest speakers were all fantastic and we were honoured that Sir Alex Ferguson could attend."

Helen Crowther, from the trust, said: "We are so grateful that Mr Boler and Sir Alex selected the farm as a beneficiary for this event."