9th May

As the Mayor of Worthing’s year long term comes to an end, Cllr Alex Harman has raised an incredible £17,556.69 for his chosen charities.

The Mayor and his wife Fran began his year in office by choosing three charities to raise awareness and funds for throughout the year and have done this for Guild Care’s Ashdown Centre, Worthing Mencap and the Alzheimer’s Society.

The Mayor was overwhelmed by the support himself and Fran received throughout the last year from residents, businesses and of course their three chosen charities. From the whopping total, the couple were able to present each charity with a cheque for £5,852.23; this is thanks to the support they received from the local community and the commitment of the charity committee.

Cllr Harman said, “We chose all three charities after discussions with representatives from each and after visiting each to fully understand the impact they have with the people they serve. With the Ashdown Centre in particular we were blown away by the real ‘family’ feel of the centre and how welcoming the staff and young people at the centre were. Fran and I have thoroughly enjoyed working alongside the Ashdown Centre this year and hope that the money raised makes a difference to the young people it serves.

I always said that my main aim was to raise awareness of these charities rather than focus on the fundraising. To do this and still raise such a substantial amount has reminded me of how supportive the community of Worthing is, I have found the whole mayoral year very humbling. Thank you to all who supporting our fundraising efforts this year, and I wish all three of my chosen charities the very best for the future.”  

As well as hosting events for his charities, both Cllr Harman and Fran supported a number of Guild Care events over the year including the Community Sandpit Day, Guild Care’s Annual Golf Challenge and the Christmas Pudding Race. Their support has raised great awareness for Ashdown’s services and the support they provide for children an
d young people with disabilities and additional needs. 

Ashdown Centre Manager Natalie Finn said, “We would like to thank Alex and Fran for the money raised from the Mayor’s charity this year for us, we were honoured to be picked as one of the Mayor’s charities. It has really raised the profile of Ashdown in general and the money will be well used to buy some new outdoor equipment and toys for the centre and help to fund some trips over the summer holidays. The money will go a long way and it will bring great pleasure to a lot of families who access our services at Ashdown.”