Surprise for charity champion

A SURPRISE party was thrown for a gym boss who spreads festive cheer all year round — by raising cash for charities.

Charity champion Ann Woods of Bolton Town Centre-based Motorcise has ended the year raising £6,600 for a number of needy organisations.

And that comes on top of running a gym that specifically caters for women with serious medical conditions, from Parkinson’s Disease to Multiple Sclerosis and arthritis.

Two months ago Mrs Woods, aged 56, bought the gym to ensure specialised facilities remained for her members.

But the gym also helps her to ensure lots of money is raised for worthy groups by acting as the venue for fundraisers, while staff and members frequently take part in raffles and other events.

Mrs Woods said: “I’ve seen first hand through my members the important work charities do in funding research into medical conditions and supporting those people.

“These charities get no funding and depend solely on donations.

“This is why we started fundraising a few years ago.”

Fundraisers have included a Christmas Variety Show, theme nights, sponsored swim and raffles.

“Anything worth celebrating, such as Easter, the birthday of the gym, or Christmas all become fundraisers.

“Sometimes having a medical condition or caring for someone who has can be isolating and having events can be important social events. We even play bingo in the gym,” said Mrs Woods.

She added: “It was brilliant being surprised like that, but this money could not be raised without the help of my team and the members who always show their support.”

Personal trainer Heather Taylor, aged 50, from Belmont, described Mrs Woods as a “star”.

She said: “Ann bought the gym a couple of months ago to stop it from going under because she was so concerned about her members.

“We couldn’t do without her. She organises something every week. She will do anything to help anybody.”