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Community backing: Teri Baron, of the hockey club, athletics club welfare officer Dave Pardoe, and Sarah Fletcher, who was the driving force behind the The Community Housing Group fund-raising effort.

A MASSIVE £2,000 donation from The Community Housing Group means the Back on Track appeal has now rocketed past the £20,000 mark and is only £5,000 short of its target.

The appeal has had a fantastic response from individuals and businesses throughout Wyre Forest, all wanting to help turn around the fortunes of two vital community sports clubs following a devastating fire.

Receptionist, Sarah Fletcher, a master of the "gentle art of persuasion", was central in The Community Housing Group's fundraising efforts, which took place through a combination of raffles and competitions.

Fiona Law, marketing manager, said: "Sarah has worked really hard to co-ordinate and encourage the sales of tickets. She has a very gentle but persuasive manner, which makes it hard to say no."

She added: "As a community-based social landlord, we are committed to supporting the local economy and community.

"We were happy to support Stourport Hockey Club and Kidderminster and Stourport Athletic Club, which provide such valuable sporting training opportunities for young people."

Miss Fletcher, 36, of Stourport, said: "I love meeting people anyway and enjoy making them happy and encouraging them into taking part."

She added: "I just use a little gentle persuasion, which colleagues are saying I'm a bit of a master at. It's not just me though. It's a team effort and everyone gets involved."

Sue Saunders, athletics club secretary, said the donation was another great example of a local company helping local people.

She added: "We are now well on our way to replacing some of our equipment. With the donations coming in, we can host a Midland Counties Track and Field League match on May 3 and athletes can start throwing and jumping during training sessions."

Mark Harradine, hockey club chairman, said officials were really taken aback by the level of support being shown to the appeal.

He added: "The Community Housing Group have boosted the appeal total and it seems we are getting within reach of our goal."

He explained: "I would not wish the kind of setback we have endured upon anyone but, in some ways, it has opened our eyes to the level of goodwill within the community.

"We owe The Community Housing Group and every other appeal contributor a huge debt of thanks for their continued support."

The Community Housing Group has backed a number of other charities throughout the year, including the County Air Ambulance, Kemp Hospice, Macmillan Nurses, Breast Cancer Awareness and smaller Wyre Forest-based charities.

8:32am Wednesday 23rd April 2008

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