Mayor donates his Harley to ellenor

The Mayor of Tunbridge Wells, Councillor David Elliott, donated his very own Harley Davidson motorbike to ellenor recently and it has been bought for £5000 in an auction at the charity’s Orange Ball in London by businessman, Michael Rothstein.

Councillor Elliott is supporting ellenor - the Kent-based charity which helps families facing terminal illness - during his year in office, along with Mayoress, June Crowhurst. He donated his beloved bike to the charity, as he hadn’t ridden it for a while and wanted somebody else to enjoy it – while he also wanted ellenor to benefit from the sale.

“I enjoyed many happy days riding my Harley Davidson and I am delighted that Michael is so excited about now owning it,” says Councillor Elliott. “I am also, of course, very pleased that £5000 was raised for ellenor and thank Michael for bidding for it at the Orange Ball.”

During his first six months in office, the Mayor has raised around £12,000 for ellenor – which will go towards supporting families facing terminal illness in Tunbridge Wells and across West Kent.

When Mr Rothstein, who runs an IT recruitment company, arrived at the Orange Ball he had no idea that he’d be the proud owner of a 2007 HD Sportster XL 1200 Low by the end of the night!

“I’d often dreamt of owning a Harley and when I saw one on the auction programme that night, I thought ‘hmmm’,” says Mr Rothstein. “I had a figure in my mind and that was the price at which the hammer came down - leaving me a little shocked and the others on my table not a little excited!”

He continues: “It’s nearly 40 years since I last rode a sizeable bike, so I was a little anxious when I picked it up - but it turns out that riding a bike is… just like riding a bike… My next plan is to purchase some matching shades, in the hope I can look cool around town!”

The Orange Ball was held at The Grange, St Paul’s, and sponsored by Berkeley Homes Eastern Counties to celebrate ellenor’s 30th birthday. It raised a fantastic £62,000 on the night.

ellenor’s Children’s Hospice Care team is the only service in the county to provide care to seriously ill children in the comfort of their own home and consistency of support for teenagers who later require care as adults. ellenor gives round the clock care, 365 days a year and as a charity – not part of the NHS – needs to raise over £6.7 million each year to care for families facing terminal illness.

The £5000 raised from the sale of the Mayor’s Harley would pay for more than 50 sessions of chemotherapy for a child in its own home or 14 days of Friday Fun Club – giving parents a much-needed break.

Plans are already coming together for the Orange Ball 2016, with the date recently confirmed as Friday 4 November. For more information about ellenor events, visit: www.ellenor.org/events