New world record set at 24 hour charity darts event
Howard Lake | 5 October 2009 | Newswire
5 October 2009 –The British Tinnitus Association (BTA), the only charity in the UK solely dedicated to supporting those who experience tinnitus, was one of three non-profit organisations which benefited from a successful 24-hour charity darts match held on Friday 25th September at Chiswick Social Club, Chiswick High Street, London, UK. Organisers expect the event to have raised thousands of pounds, a third of which will go to the BTA, and the remainder will be split equally between the charities Epilepsy Bereaved and Support Dogs.
Jason Clark, the renowned Scottish darts player also known as ‘The Cockney Jock’, set a new Guinness World Record during the event based on completing 533 darts games within a non-stop 24 hour marathon session.
The event attracted more than 100 people, many of whom pledged money to support the three nominated charitable causes. Supporters guessed how many 501 dart games the players could complete during the 24 hours – with each guess supporters pledged £1.00, and 50 pence of each pound was split between the three charities. A raffle featuring prizes, such as a Eurostar trip to Paris, free haircuts, driving lessons, car MOTs and cinema tickets for a West End show, were kindly donated by local businesses and raised further funds.
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The event organisers, Ross Sheridan and tinnitus sufferer Stuart Budd, now plan to make the charity darts match an annual event. They have personally been supported by the three organisations in the past and chose to set up the event in order to give back to the charities.
Ross was raising funds in memory of his daughter Karen who tragically died from an epileptic seizure last year, while Stuart was raising funds for the BTA since – as a tinnitus sufferer – he has found the charity to be of great help and support. Support Dogs train seizure alert dogs who respond and alert their owners to an imminent epileptic seizure – if Ross’ daughter has had such a dog, it would have given her 10-15 minutes warning to alert someone.
Roy Bratby, Chairman of the BTA, said: “The BTA receives no government funding so relies on generous donations, legacies and income from memberships to support our work and spread the message of “Better Tinnitus Awareness. This fun event was a great success, and I would like to express my best wishes and gratitude to all involved for their valuable contribution”.
Tinnitus is not an illness or disease, but a term that describes the sensation of hearing a noise in the absence of an external sound. Ringing, whistling, and buzzing are common but more complex sounds may also occur. Almost five million people in the country, a staggering 10% of the adult population, suffer with the condition at some point in their life and it often can be very distressing for the affected individual as it may affect sleep, concentration and mood.
As a world leader in providing support and advice about tinnitus, the BTA has a trained team of friendly and experienced advisors for anyone who is experiencing tinnitus or is simply seeking ./guidance or information about the condition. During Tinnitus Awareness Week the British Tinnitus Association will hope to raise awareness of the freephone helpline, 0800 018 0527, and website, www.tinnitus.org.uk which are both useful resources. The charity also provides valuable information about prevention techniques such as limiting exposure to excess noise.
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Editors Notes
The BTA is an independent charity which supports thousands of tinnitus sufferers and advises medical professionals from across the world.
The experienced team at the BTA understands the impact that tinnitus can have on the lives of sufferers and those who live with them, so seeks to provides the most appropriate and expert advice and information free of charge – via a free helpline on 0800 018 0527 and online at www.tinnitus.org.uk. The BTA also offers printed information and audio support via post.
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About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.