A ‘Mhelliah’ organised by leading rural insurer NFU Mutual has helped to raise money for their chosen charity for the year, the Manx Gateway Club, bringing the total amount to more than £2,000.
A Manx tradition dating back over a century, ’Mhelliah’ is a charity auction event customarily held at the end of the harvest season. All the grown or prepared produce is then sold to the highest bidder which successfully raised £1,500 alone for the charity.
Bianca Kinrade, Sales Advisor for NFU Mutual on Isle of Man, said: “The Mhelliah was a huge success and was supported not only by the whole NFU Mutual team but also many of our customers who kindly donated auction and raffle prizes to help raise money. A special thank you goes out to Shaun (Boosh) Kerruish, Ciaran Gray, Stevie Corrin and Peter Quayle for undertaking their roles as auctioneers and assistants for the evening.”
“Ranging from fruit and fresh vegetables to lobsters and a weekend stay on a farm, it was lovely to keep the Manx tradition alive and I can’t thank everyone enough for their thoughtful contributions for such a fantastic course.”
The Manx Gateway Club aims to provide a safe and secure environment for adults with learning difficulties giving them the opportunity to socialise and interact with others by engaging in a range of activities such as swimming and playing sport.
As well as donating a sum of money for each new member of the Manx Gateway Club, various other activities undertaken by the NFU Mutual included a staff visit to the Royal and Southern Agricultural show, where they ran a competition to guess the donkey’s date of birth raising another £600.
On behalf of the charity, Assistant Group Leaders Rayna Fitzgerald and Susan Barnes thanked the NFU Mutual team for their efforts.
Rayna, said: “The funds raised are going towards the cost of a minibus which will enable us to provide transport to those members who cannot get to the club. We feel very privileged to have been chosen by the team in Douglas as their charity of choice and thank them for all their support they have given us this year.”