Businesses urged to donate prizes for Sutton Coldfield’s Bra B-Q charity fundraiser
Organisers of a popular charity barbecue in Sutton Coldfield are asking businesses to get involved by donating ‘posh’ prizes for their fundraising tombola and auction.
The cheekily named Bra B-Q event was first held in 2019 when local restaurateur Fran O’Meara, who owned The Boathouse at Bracebridge in Sutton Park with her husband Laurence, fell ill with breast cancer.
The event raised thousands of pounds for charity, and when Fran died in 2022 her friends and colleagues were determined to remember her by continuing to raise money for charities that supported other patients.
They held the second Bra B-Q in 2023 and since then it’s become an annual event, so far raising more than £40,000 for the Birmingham Hospice (formerly the John Taylor Hospice).
This year’s Bra B-Q is taking place from 1.30 to 9pm on Saturday 22 August at The Duke Inn on Duke Street, Sutton Coldfield, with live entertainment, hot food, a ‘posh’ tombola and auction.
Organiser Fiona Latham explained that she and fellow organisers Claire Downes, Annette Cattermole, Victoria Wright Willis and Suzanne Ferguson all used to work with Fran O’Meara at the Boathouse, which is how they became the best of friends.
She said: “This will be our 5th Bra B-Q at The Duke with live entertainment and a Grills Grills Grills street food van serving mouthwatering burgers and hot dogs all day. Most importantly, it will be another unforgettable day full of fun, laughter and fundraising, which is what Fran would have wanted.
“We rely on local businesses to donate our prizes, and we’ve been very lucky in previous years to receive everything from bottles of gin to football memorabilia and hotel stays. One year, we even got an auction prize of a new bathroom!
“We still need more donations of ‘posh’ prizes or vouchers for this year’s luxury tombola, silent auction and ‘BIG’ auction.
“We work hard to keep costs low and the experience top-notch. Many of our incredible performers are donating their time. As organisers, we also buy our own tickets, even for our kids and partners, because we believe in this cause and in creating a day full of laughter, community and giving back.
“This charity is so close to our hearts and means the world to us. We just want to make it bigger and better so that Birmingham Hospice and the Breast Friends charities can continue to provide the care and support to cancer patients and families they so desperately need at such a sad time.”
Any businesses or celebrities who would like to donate a prize can contact Bra B-Q organisers by emailing [email protected].
Tickets at £20 per head and £10 for six- to 16-year-olds are available via the-bra-b-q.ueniweb.com or Eventbrite.