Pass the Ball team raise astonishing £100,000
On Wednesday 1 May a group of walkers set off from Twickenham Stadium on a 150 mile walk to Stourbridge Rugby Club. A week later, a group of cyclists followed the same route and the two teams arrived at Stourbridge Rugby Club on Friday 10 May for a day of celebration.
The challenge, named Pass the Ball, was inspired and organised by Peter Bache, Co-Owner of European Valuations, a valuation and auctioneering company. Peter was treated at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham for prostate cancer and has since raised funds for QEHB Charity’s Prostate Cancer appeal.
Pass the Ball took its name from the rugby ball that the walkers carried with them on the route, a ball which previously toured the world promoting the upcoming Rugby World Cup in Japan.
The challenge was first and foremost a fundraising effort, with QEHB Charity’s Prostate Cancer appeal and the Rugby Football Union’s Injured Players Foundation (IPF) benefitting from the team’s incredible efforts.
Thanks to hundreds of kind supporters, the team have raised over £100,000 through the Pass the Ball challenge.
On finishing this extraordinary challenge, Peter said: “It feels fantastic to have completed this challenge. It was an amazing ten days of hard work and we had really mixed weather for the last three days of the challenge. But the support that we had throughout from everybody was incredible.
“The amount that we’ve raised, it really is going to make a difference to people’s lives. We have raised enough money where we can truly change and improve lives through what we’ve done.”
The money raised for QEHB Charity’s Prostate Cancer appeal will be helping to fund the Man Van. The Man Van is a mobile health van, which will be touring the West Midlands and encouraging men to be aware of their health, especially when it comes to prostate cancer.
QEHB Charity brought the Man Van to the finish line at Stourbridge Rugby Club, to showcase for the 1,600 people who were at the club that afternoon for the annual Club Lunch.
Seeing the van for the first time, Peter said: “I feel like going away camping in it! It is beautifully done and I can’t believe how much space has been created and the technology that has been used.”
Peter hopes that the van will be able to make a difference, saying: “If we can pay for and run the Man Van then that is going to save lives real lives. We will be able to prevent as well as cure prostate cancer. That is the whole purpose and reason why we have just walked 150 miles!
“Prostate Cancer hits one in eight men. We must do something about it, we must raise awareness, and we must get people to go and get tested and go to the doctors. We must drive people to be aware of the problems of prostate cancer and I hope that this new van will go a long way in achieving that aim.”
Cathryn Worth, Fundraising Manager at QEHB Charity, said: “It has been a privilege to work alongside Peter and the Pass the Ball team on this amazing fundraising challenge. Thanks to all of their hard work, they have raised a staggering amount of money which will make a huge difference to prostate cancer patients at the hospital.
“We are proud to have been able to fund the Man Van, and the money that Pass the Ball has raised will allow us to take the van out to men in the West Midlands to help promote health and awareness of prostate cancer.”
You can continue to support the team by visiting their JustGiving page.