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Beckett Investment Management Group has become the latest Suffolk business to throw its weight behind talented up and coming sportsmen and women from the county.
The chartered financial planners have joined Pound Gates Chartered Insurance Brokers, Ensors Chartered Accountants, Ellisons Solicitors, Concertus and StrategiQ as sponsors of the hugely successful Ipswich Sporting Lunch Club.
The club, which was set up in January 2015, raises money for SportsAid, the national charity for sports people, to enable them to support talented up and coming sportsmen and women from the county with the costs of training and competing at a national and international level.
Becketts sponsorship was announced at the latest fundraising lunch which saw 250 local business leaders descend on Wherstead Park near Ipswich for a special lunch with former England International rugby star Jeff Probyn.
Probyn, who won 37 caps for England and was once voted the best prop in the world, entertained and amused the packed audience with tales from his playing days. He said “too many talented young sportspeople don’t fulfil their potential because the cost of training and competing at a high level can be unduly restrictive. The work of SportsAid is therefore vital in supporting their journey. However, SportsAid cannot function without the generous support of businesses like Becketts and the other Ipswich Sporting Lunch Club sponsors. I therefore salute and thank them for their generous sponsorship.”
Austin Bryden, Senior Employee Benefits Consultant at Becketts, said “we are delighted to be part of the Ipswich Sporting Lunch Club and thank Pound Gates, Ensors, Ellisons, Concertus and StrategiQ for giving us this opportunity. It’s a great fit for a business like ours because, like the sportspeople SportsAid supports, we always strive to deliver the highest standards.”
As is tradition, the event saw a SportsAid award presented to a super-talented sports person from Suffolk. On this occasion the recipient was local rugby union player Connie Powell. Powell is a member of the England Under 20 women’s team and played for England in the 2018 Under 20 Tri Nations win against Canada at the tender age of just 17. More recently she has been invited to train with the England senior squad with the RFU (Rugby Football Union) identifying her as having ‘the potential to become a senior international’.
A delighted Powell said “it’s amazing to receive this support. It’s a massive help that will enable me to really focus on working hard to become the best player I can possibly be. I can’t thank SportsAid and the sponsors enough.”
The event is expected to have raised over £7,500 for the charity, with every penny going to support young sportsmen and women from Suffolk.
The next Ipswich Sporting Lunch Club event takes place on Friday 20th September 2019, also at Wherstead Park. The guest speaker will be Charlotte Edwards CBE one of the most significant female cricketers of all time. For further information contact Adam Baker at [email protected].
