Guards Polo Club Official Yearbook 2017 Official Yearbook 2017 | Page 58

nsif charity day
SPORTING
FUNDR AISING
Pictures by Images of Polo
Rich Hine of British Polo Gin with Willy Bauer OBE, patron of nsif
and Guards Polo Club Board Director Nigel Hadden-Paton
Artist Vineta Sayer with the artwork
she donated to the auction
58
G
uards Polo Club hosted its
second Nicholls Spinal Injury
Foundation (nsif) Polo Day in
2016. More than 80 nsif supporters
enjoyed a wonderful day which
included fine dining in our Clubhouse,
accompanied by plenty of Champagne
Laurent-Perrier and British Polo Gin, a
charity auction, overseen by Rob Hubbard
from Bonhams, an art exhibition, plus
a competitive polo match. This was a
league game for the Labrador Trophy
and the winners on the field of play were
Clare and Chris Mathias’s Clarita team.
They beat Dimitri Chebotarev’s Ivan The
Terrible 7-3. However, the real winner of
the day was the nsif, as this event raised
some £15,000.
The money will go towards the charity’s
invaluable work in funding research and
development into spinal cord injury, vital
when some 40,000 people are believed
to be living with spinal cord injury in
the UK. Highlighting the importance of
t he charity’s work, nsif trustee Steven
Smith gave a moving speech about his
experience with spinal injury. He also used
this occasion to announce his entry into
the 2017 London Marathon.
The auction featured a variety of
remarkable prizes including a stay in The
Mandarin Oriental, Marrakech, as well
as an exclusive meal for eight hosted by
Michel Roux OBE at the famed Waterside
Inn in Bray. A raffle followed which had
equally impressive prizes, such as dinner
for two at Claridge’s. Meanwhile, John and
Theresa Thorley of Equestrian Art UK not
only gave a painting for the auction, but
also donated 15% from the sale of any
painting from the Clubhouse exhibition
to the nsif. For more information on the
charity go to www. nsif.org.uk
guards polo club official yearbook 2017