The Gatehouse, on the High Street in Tonbridge, is hosting a fundraiser on World Parkinson’s Day (11 April) in aid of Parkinson’s UK.
Kicking off with a ‘Coffee and Cake’ morning from 10am – 12pm, customers are invited to the pub to enjoy homemade sweet treats, courtesy of manager and organiser, Rhiannon Yardley and her team. There will also be a ‘decorate your own cupcake’ stand for children, complete with multicoloured icing and decorations.
Later in the afternoon, from 4pm – 10pm, Rhiannon and her star cocktail maker, Sam Ashby, will be running Cocktail Masterclasses every half an hour. Participants can learn to expertly prepare either a Pornstar Martini, a Mojito or a Cosmopolitan, Rhiannon and Sam’s personal favourites, or they can choose to make their own cocktail.
Each class will cost £15 per person, £10 of which will go straight to Parkinson’s UK. Places can be booked in advance with the pub.
Rhiannon says: “Parkinson’s is a progressive, degenerative disease that destroys people’s lives – and many of us don’t know anything about it. Both my Grandma and her brother suffer from it and they have been living in homes for some time now. I really want this event to be as much about raising awareness, as is it is about raising money.
“My team has been wonderful in helping me to organise everything – from baking cakes to helping with the cocktail masterclasses, they’ve all mucked in. I hope our customers enjoy what we’ve put together and want to get behind our cause as much as we do!”
The Gatehouse will also be organising a variety of games over the Easter Weekend to raise money for the charity, including ‘Name the Bunny’ and ‘How Many Eggs in the Jar’.
The event comes as part of Rhiannon’s participation in Stonegate Pub Company’s ‘Accelerator Programme’. The course is part of its award-winning development programme, designed to give its people the skills and knowledge they need to succeed and proceed within the company.