On Friday, 26th April, our Founder and Managing Partner, Deborah Richards and Partner, James Richards had the pleasure of heading to The Spa Hotel in Tunbridge Wells for the annual St George's Day Lunch. The event is organised by the Tunbridge Wells Exiles, a group of local businessmen, in support of The Pickering Centre that provides a vital cancer drop-in centre for residents in the local community. Coming together with other local businesses, Maddisons are proud to attend this annual event which always has a great turnout.

The Exiles’ St George’s Day lunch saw its largest number of attendees  

The annual St George’s Day lunch, held at the stunning Spa Hotel, is always a firm date in our diaries, as we look forward to lunching with other local business and colleagues who support their local community. This year was The Exile’s biggest event to date, with 188 people attending. Guests heard a powerful speech from a current visitor of the centre who has been supported through her two-year cancer diagnosis and listened to a beautiful aria sung by Emily Price.

Deborah guesses the exact weight of the pork pie competition

During the event, there is always a fantastic auction and raffle, plus the annual ‘guess the weight of the pork pie competition’, hand crafted by one of The Exiles. This year Deborah won, guessing the weight spot on which was a first! Not one to miss an opportunity, she auctioned the pork pie to raise an additional £150, to add to an expected excess of £20,000 raised on the day -  vital funds for The Pickering Centre, which celebrate its 20th anniversary this year.

The amazing work offered by The Pickering Centre

Located in the centre of Tunbridge Wells, The Pickering Centre is a self-funding charity, set up by a group of cancer patients in 2004 who wanted somewhere to go to connect and talk with others going through a similar situation. Run by volunteers, the centre also provides a space to share information, relax and talk with families, friends and carers, and offers reflexology, massages, reiki, nutritional advice, counselling and yoga, all free of charge.

The centre recognises that, “Most people are affected by cancer during their lives, and many find this a traumatic and lonely experience. We aim to help and support anyone going through the emotional upset of cancer, from diagnosis onwards, be they patients, their partners, children, friends, or carers.”

One of the things we love about Tunbridge Wells is the sense of community and the support our fantastic residents and colleague in businesses give to local causes. We are very proud to be part of such a charitable community. Head to our news and insights page to see more of Maddison Residential’s community updates.