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Mark Two leads fundraising at Lads Club boxing night

Mark Two joint managing director Nick 'Hoppy' Hopkinson MBE helped raise nearly £225,000 for young people in one night.

Bolton Lads and Girls Club's annual Boxing Extravaganza was organised and hosted by Hoppy, with help from the team at Bolton Lads and Girls Club.

Special guest and former BLGC boxer Amir Khan joined local businesses and club supporters to watch the club's young boxing talent take on the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, led by Lieutenant Colonel Jim Landon MBE.

The club was transformed into an army bunker for the evening, complete with tanks, snipers, foot soldiers and even the Fusiliers' marching band.

"At what can only be described as an amazing night at the Bolton Lads and Girls club," reports Hoppy, "people pledged money to help give young people around the North West better opportunities and alternatives to a drink and drugs culture."

Hoppy has been fundraising for the Bolton club for many years. Plans are currently in place for the creation of five new government-funded clubs based on the BLGC model.

Special guest Amir Khan, who brought his family along to the event, helped to inspire the boxers fighting on the night and encouraged supporters to donate much-needed funds.

Kitchen and bathroom companies represented at the event included Twyford, Roca, Laufen, Hudson Reed, The Big Bathroom Shop, Wickes, Deva, Aqualux, 20:20, Sylmar, Siamp and Phoenix.

Bolton Lads and Girls club is used by more than 3,000 young people every week, who take advantage of more than 28 activities on offer. Support available includes a one-on-one mentoring programme for more than 300 disaffected young people, who meet weekly with volunteer mentors and try to find positive outcomes in their turbulent young lives.

"It's an amazing charity where all the cash raised goes straight to helping young people and has become a beacon of youth provision, recognised by Westminster - and now to be replicated across the north of England," says Hoppy. "It's a super positive story in a world increasingly dominated with doom and gloom."

The boxing night raised £75,000 for the club through ticket sales, raffles and auctions.

One guest also pledged a £20,000 donation for the new Manchester club, plus £150,000 in product and support for the other new clubs, including toilets, showers and landscaping.

Claire Phillips, fundraising events manager at BLGC, says: "The boxing night was a huge success - we need to raise £2 million every year to keep providing the service we do to young people in Bolton, and Hoppy is instrumental in helping us to do this."

T: 01204 360 820
E: [email protected]
W: www.marktwo.co.uk

12th February 2010