Auction and Raffle at Frome Rugby Club.

A fund raising auction was held at Frome Rugby club on the 8th September 2007.

When James Eyers was killed last year in a road traffic accident, his devastated family and friends were determined to commemorate his life in a way that reflected his positive and generous personality.
Their success has been remarkable: the James Eyers Memorial Fund has already raised nearly £24,000 for Dorothy House Hospice Care, and the memorial committee handed over a cheque at the hospice on 1 February.
James, who lived in Frome, was killed last march. He was just 27 and had been planning to marry fiancée Tamara Richards this August.
His mum, Sue Edwards, says: "James had been planning to do some fundraising events for Dorothy House, because his friend’s father was looked after there. We also discovered that he had been donating a regular amount to a cancer charity, so we decided to go ahead and fundraise for the hospice in his memory."
Numerous events were organized: James’s younger brother, Andrew, bravely ran the Bath Half Marathon just two days after James’s death; close friend Gareth Wright did a sponsored static bike ride, and friend and employer David Marcussen ran the New York marathon, raising more than £2,200.
In September, the memorial fund committee held a very successful auction at Frome Rugby Club, where James had been a member.
Sue says: "James had so many friends and touched so many people during his life, we easily managed to sell all 300 tickets for the auction, as well as 3,500 raffle tickets. People were so generous – Frome Market auctioneer Mark Rees, who made it all a lot of fun, as well as really encouraging the bidding; the Rugby Club, who gave us free use of their premises; all the businesses that donated fantastic auction lots; racing driver Jensen Button – one of James’s former school friends – who gave a signed race helmet - and of course everyone who came along and took part."
The auction raised more than £20,000 - a magnificent total. But the evening’s success wasn’t just about the money. Sue says: "It really gave us all something to focus on after James’s death, and we felt we were doing something he would have been proud of. We’ve always been a close family, but I think it has brought us even closer - including James’s fiancée, Tamara, and all his friends."
The money raised – £23,968 – will be used for the occupational therapy programme at Dorothy House. Sue says: “James did a sports science degree, so we felt that using money for occupational therapy would be particularly appropriate – I think James would have approved.”
The fundraising continues: Tamara, Sue and several other friends will be taking part in this year’s Nationwide Bath Half Marathon, while David Marcussen is running the Berlin Marathon – and plans are in hand for another auction in the autumn.