“PUTTING THE ‘fun’ in ‘fundraising’” is how Joanne Penketh describes Saddleworth’s biggest women’s fashion event of the year.
She is talking, of course, about the Ascot Ladies’ Day event that will be held at The White Hart Inn in Lydgate on Thursday, June 18, at which dozens of women will raise thousands of pounds for Dr Kershaw’s Hospice.
“Dr. Kershaw’s is here for people at the most difficult time in their lives,” Joanne says. “Every day, our teams provide compassionate, specialised care and support to patients and the wider family, to help them live as well as possible with dignity and comfort.
“The Ascot Ladies’ Day is one of our most fun events. It brings people together from across the community to have a fun day our while also raising funds for the hospice.
“A lot of people have been coming for years, but we’re getting new supporters each year too, which is lovely.”
Now on its 20th year, 2025’s Ascot Ladies’ Day raised £8,700 for the hospice, which supports terminally ill patients and their families across Saddleworth and Oldham.
It is a charity close to Joanne’s heart – after her own father received care more than three decades ago, she later launched her own career there as an income development manager.
“It’s a privilege to work at the hospice, and I know the difference it made to us,” she added.
“It’s a very different place now, but when we’ve got patients coming in, whether we know them or not, they’re all extremely grateful for the support, and it continues after the patient has left – we’re here for the wider family, for the longer term, for as long as they need help.
“What makes the hospice special is that our care is provided free of charge, which means we rely heavily on the generosity of our fabulous community to continue delivering these services.
“Events like this help us do that, and our patients and families to share moments that shouldn’t be on a hospital corridor in in the back of an ambulance.
“It’s been described as a five-star facility by lots of our patients and their families.
“I had a lady come in to me as her husband was being put in a room to be made more comfortable. She gasped and said, ‘Is this room really for him?’. It’s really nice to be able to offer these facilities to our patients and their loved ones.”
This year, the Ascot Ladies’ Day is promising a stylish afternoon of frills, frocks, and fascinators, all to further fund patient care across the region.
Guests will be welcomed with a glass of buck’s fizz or Pimm’s upon the 11.30am arrival, before enjoying a three course meal and traditional afternoon tea.
They will also be treated to a raffle, auction, ‘best hat competition’ and a professional bookmaker to compliment the Royal Ascot livestream.
“Quite a long day,” Joanne says, “to soak up a bit more of the alcohol.
“It’s a full on day, really! It’s just smiles and laughter from the moment people arrive. Just come along with your friends, have a fantastic, fun, memorable day, bet the odd pound or two if you want, and ultimately raise funds for the hospice.
“We’ll always continue to provide that specialised support to our community, because our community really are at the heart of everything we do, while they’re here to support us.
“We’ll continue to provide services free of charge to the people who need it most, and we really are extremely grateful for that community support – we couldn’t do without it.”
The Ascot Ladies’ Day will be held at The White Hart Inn on Thursday, June 18. Tickets cost £65, including a £15 donation to the charity.
To book, contact The White Hart Inn on 01457 872566.
You must be logged in to post a comment.