PIRATES are going to use their lucrative Golden Jubilee meeting on Bank Holiday Monday, June 3, to bolster the Lawrence Hare Benefit Fund.
Poole Meridian Lifts co-promoters Matt Ford and Mike Golding are expecting a bumper crowd at Wimborne Road for the big individual event that starts at 4pm.
So they are going to stage a collection among spectators during the meeting with the money raised going directly into the fund set up for Hare.
With Tony Rickardsson, Tomasz Gollob, Mark Loram, Leigh Adams, Greg Hancock, Krzysztof Cegielski and Todd Wiltshire including in a top class field battling for a £7,500 first prize, Poole could even get more than 5,000 fans packing into the stadium. And if all of those people put just £1 into the collection tins, then Pirates' could make anenormous contribution to help the Ipswich-based rider, who is paralysed following a trackspill.
The collection at Poole will be boosted by the auctionat the meeting of a Pirates race jacket used by Ross Gilberts on way back in the 1960s.
Alan Scott, a Speedway fan and friend of the late John Dews, was given the skull and crossbones race jacket by the former Sheffield rider.
Mr Scott, who lives in Seabridge, near Newcastle in Staffordshire, has passed it on to the Poole club so they can auction it especially to raise funds for Hare.
Poole press officer Gordon Day said: "I would like tothink John Dews would have endorsed the fact that Alan has given us Ross's old race jacket to auction off for such a good cause.
"It is a very kind and thoughtful gesture on Alan's part and one we hope will bring a good response from collectors of speedway memorabilia allover the country.
"The auction will take place at the Golden Jubilee meeting, but if anyone wants to make asealed bid before then, they can do so by sending it in writing to Gordon Day, Poole Press Officer, Poole Speedway, Wimborne Road, Poole, BH152BP.
"We're hoping to get Ross, who still lives in the Poole area, to sign the race jacket so that it really will be a unique piece of history for the lucky person who bids the highest amount.
"The draw for the riding order for the big meeting, which offers more than £20,000 in prize-money, has been made.
Draw: 1 Robert Sawina, 2 Tomasz Gollob, 3 Leigh Adams,4 Grzegorz Walasek, 5 Mark Loram,6 Andreas Jonsson, 7 Gary Havelock, 8 Lee Richardson,9 Andy Smith, 10 Greg Hancock, 11Sebastian Ulamek, 12 Todd Wiltshire, 13 TonyRickardsson, 14 Mariusz Wegrzyk, 15Krzysztof Cegielski, 16 Joe Screen.
Poole are stressing the turnstiles open at 2pm for the meeting and that it is pay on the gate, with admission prices as follows: adults (£15), children under-15 (£5), under-five's (free).
There are no concessions. Season ticket vouchers do not apply for the meeting, but voucher holders can apply to the speedway office to reserve grandstand seats.
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