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£10,000 fundraising tribute to popular chef

28.07.10 

MONEY raised in memory of popular Dartmouth chef David Hawke has topped the £10,000 mark thanks to the efforts of his former colleagues.

Staff at the Royal Castle Hotel decided to launch the fundraising drive after hearing the heartbreaking news that David, the hotel's general manager, had died from meningitis in February last year.

David had been holidaying on the West Indian island of St Lucia with friends when they found him dead on his 58th birthday.

The £10,000 will go towards Meningitis UK and its work to find a vaccine to eradicate the disease completely and safeguard lives in the future.

Steve Dayman, the charity's chief executive, travelled to the port to collect the donation and said everyone's efforts were "phenomenal".

The grand total was raised through a fundraising afternoon, auction and a 13-mile sponsored walk between the Royal Castle and its sister hotel the Seven Stars in Totnes.

A dose of humour was injected into the walk as fundraisers wore underwear, curly blonde wigs and wacky coloured ties to reflect David's larger-than-life character.

Becky Edwards, office manager at the Royal Castle, said: "We knew we would have the support of all the locals because David was so popular. It's thanks to their help and generosity that we've been able to raise so much.

"David would have enjoyed the events we organised because they were so much fun. It's good to feel that we're doing something positive in his memory which will go towards hopefully saving thousands of lives in the future."

All the money raised will go towards Meningitis UK's Search 4 a Vaccine Campaign, which aims to raise £7million to fund vital research into developing a vaccine against Meningitis B - the most common form of the disease in this country.

Steve Dayman, who founded Meningitis UK after his son Spencer died from the disease, said: "To raise £10,000 is phenomenal. Everyone should be very proud of their efforts in memory of David.

"It's always heart-warming to hear how local communities pull together for a good cause.

"What happened to David sadly illustrates the speed at which meningitis can strike, with very few symptoms to distinguish the disease from more common illnesses.

"Every penny they raise will go towards this single focus and our ultimate goal to spare people the heartache of losing a loved one to meningitis."

For more information on meningitis, or the Search 4 a Vaccine Campaign, visit www.meningitisuk.org or call 0117 373 73 73.