A community came together to raise more than £2,000 in memory of a much-loved dad, son, fiancé and brother.
Nearly 140 people attended a mouth-watering afternoon tea and their donations raised £2,100 for Andrew Key’s Cardiac Risk in the Young Memorial Fund.
Tickets for the event, held in Longridge’s Civic Hall on 14th April, were snapped up quickly and attendees were treated to a selection of finger sandwiches, a couple of savoury bites and copious amounts of tea or coffee.
These were followed by a range of delicious sweet treats, with cake stands adorned with mini strawberry meringues, chocolate brownies, lemon drizzle cake, vanilla slices, mini chocolate cookies, raspberry jellies and scones with jam and clotted cream.
The guests were entertained during their meal by local pianist Peter Bennett.
One of those in attendance was Judy Kitching, who came along with her daughter, daughter-in-law and three nieces.
She said: “It’s been an absolutely wonderful afternoon. The food was delicious, the musician was excellent, the volunteers worked so hard and most importantly it’s raised a fantastic amount of money for such a worthy cause.”
In addition to the ticket cost, guests dipped their hands into their pockets on the day and took part in guess the number competition and a raffle.
Around 40 volunteers helped on the day, many of whom were family members and friends of Andrew, who died of Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome in January 2021 at the age of just 31.
Local suppliers also played their part, with generous donations from Rowles Butchers and Little Town Farm Shop.
Money raised from the afternoon tea will go towards providing heart screening for youngsters in the local area. The next event, paid for by Andrew’s Memorial Fund, will see hundreds of 14 to 35-year-olds screened for heart abnormalities at Longridge High School on 27th and 28th April. Places are fully booked but check out https://www.testmyheart.org.uk/ for future dates.
