Westbury’s own Gary Cook, well-known for his remarkable fundraising efforts, is gearing up for the national final of the Pride of Britain Awards.
After being crowned the West Country’s Fundraiser of the Year at the regional awards, Gary will now attend the prestigious national awards ceremony in London, which will be broadcast on ITV this Thursday, 24th October, at 8pm.
The awards, which celebrate the nation’s unsung heroes, will be hosted by Carol Vorderman and Ashley Banjo, and Prince William is expected to attend.
Gary has gained national attention for his dedication to raising money for local cancer charities through the annual Rodney Cook Memorial (RCM) Rally.
The metal detecting event, launched in 2018 in memory of his late father Rodney Cook, who died from cancer in 2017, has grown into a major event.
This year’s rally alone raised £110,000 and pushed the total amount raised to over £400,000, benefiting cancer services at both the Royal United Hospital (RUH) in Bath and the Great Western Hospital in Swindon.
Reflecting on winning the West Country’s Fundraiser of the Year, Gary told White Horse News, “It was a massive surprise just to be nominated, and to win is absolutely brilliant. To be in the running for the national Pride of Britain Fundraiser of the Year award is amazing. It will be a fantastic occasion in London, celebrating with all the other regional winners and meeting other amazing fundraisers.”
The RCM Rally has seen incredible support, attracting participants from around the globe and being dubbed the ‘Glastonbury of metal detecting’ with tickets selling out in minutes and enthusiasts travelling from far and wide.
Gary credits the success of the event to the collective effort of the RCM team, saying, “This award is for all of us at the RCM Rally. The RCM family should be feeling very, very proud of themselves.”
Gary’s latest fundraising exploit was a ‘No Frills’ mini rally which was held earlier this month near Marlborough. Although smaller than the main rally, it still saw over 500 people in attendance. Finds included several medieval silver coins, and Roman and Celtic items including a Roman statuette of a god.
Cheques from this year’s fundraising, totalling £110,165, will be presented later this year to the RUH and Great Western cancer charities, SarcomaUK, the bone and soft tissue cancer charity, and to the Countryside Learning charity which aims to educate and inspire children to enjoy the countryside.
