Thirsk Ladies Club donate £3,400 to our recent Eye Appeal

We were so pleased to meet up with some of the committee members from Thirsk Ladies Club for their cheque presentation on Monday 19th January where they donated a wonderful £3,400 to Friends of the Friarage.

The club had chosen our charity’s recent Eye Appeal as one of their causes to support throughout 2025, along with Thirsk Community Library. In total they raised a whopping £7,000 which was split between both causes (with a £200 donation also sent to Thirsk Lights Appeal).

Throughout 2025 many fundraising events were held by the ladies, including their ever popular ‘Summer Lunch’ at the Gavel Cafe at Thirsk Auction Mart where guests enjoy a fun afternoon of delicious food, plus games and a raffle to take part in. They also had an evening of wonderful entertainment by the Northallerton Male Voice Choir, and Thornton le Dale Ukulele band played a summer concert to a packed Thirsk Town Hall. Later in the year one of the TLC members held an Open Garden and hosted guests who were treated to cakes and refreshments, giving everyone a chance to socialise and relax. The final fundraising event to take place was the delivery of Christmas cards to local residents by the husband of one of their committee members.

The Eye Appeal was brought to a close in June last year after we reached our £200,000 target, the equipment was purchased and the new eye surgery service is now well underway at the Friarage Surgical Centre, with the first patient to be treated taking place on the 8th October.

Friends of the Friarage pledged that every penny raised in the name of the Eye Appeal would still go to the Friarage’s Eye Department and therefore they will receive this wonderful additional amount.

We'd like to thank Thirsk Ladies Club for such dedicated support last year and we wish them all the best in their fundraising efforts for 2026!