CK Warning! This blog is not for the cynical – it’s very positive! Community spirit, creative people, generous businesses. But it does all start with a sad story.
I first became aware of Chasing Connor’s Cure after running the Tonbridge Half-Marathon in 2016 alongside lots of people dressed in blue. My friend was running as part of the Chasing Connor’s Cure (CCC) team so I had been made aware of the story: a local family, the Crawfords, had learnt that their son, Connor, had a very rare strain of muscular dystrophy called Duchenne. Only one in 3,500 boys in the UK have this condition which attacks the muscles, leading to loss of mobility before the age of ten and early loss of life. Currently, there is no cure but research is underway and CCC was created by the family to raise money to fund further research.
Since diagnosis, there have been lots of fundraising events and you may well have seen the collection tins in various shops throughout Tonbridge – they’ve raised an astonishing £110,000 so far but much more is needed.
After employing the services of East Peckham based charity marketing and fundraising guru, Phil Broad of Yeomans, he suggested a great fundraising partnership – could his office neighbours Tonbridge Brewery brew a beer specifically for CCC with a portion of sales’ proceeds going to the charity?
Matt Crawford, Connor’s dad centre, with Paul Bournazian and Mark Gardner of Tonbridge Brewery
And Tonbridge Brewery said yes! They have created a special summer-time pale ale which is available from now. Tonbridge’s very own beer cafe, Fuggles, has been behind the idea from the outset, as have Enterprise Inns, which plans to distribute the beer to as many of their pubs as possible. Independents are selling it too and it’s appearing at The Old Fire Station’s beer festival this weekend. Sam Goode of TOFS tells me, “We have been supporting CCC for the past couple of years and we’re looking forward to hosting the charity’s quiz in May. The beer is just another great way to support a good cause and, of course, it’s part of our May beer festival.”
Fifty pence of each pint sale will go to CCC. One hundred firkins/6,000 pints have been brewed so far, with another run of a hundred firkins next week which should generate over £3,000. If it is sold throughout the summer in Tonbridge and the surrounding areas (a pub in Whitstable is selling it!) then CCC will raise a lot more money.
So if you’re out and about over the summer and happen to find yourself in one of our local pubs or bars, please consider having a pint of the Chasing Connor’s Cure beer – just look out for the charity’s logo or ask at the bar.
If you’d like to donate more than 50p, then you can donate to Chasing Connor’s Cure via this link: www.chasingconnorscure.co.uk/dash-2018
