SUPER SLIMMER Pat Peace lost more than three stone to raise over £3,500 for CAFOD.
Pat, who attends St Wilfrid’s Church, in Haltwhistle, Northumberland, agreed to chair the committee raising money to celebrate parish priest, Fr Leo Pyle’s 50th Anniversary as a priest. But Fr Leo got wind of the plans and said that if there was a collection for his Golden Jubilee, the money should go to the Catholic aid agency CAFOD.
So the committee – made up of parishioners from St John of Beverley Church in Haydon Bridge, as well as St Wilfrid’s – decided to raise money for Fr Leo’s 75th birthday instead, and Pat took on a sponsored slim to fill up the CAFOD collection.
Weighing in … The hotel MC, Fr Leo, and Kathleen
Armstrong watch Pat on the scales.
Kathleen has been monitoring Pat’s weight loss
at Haltwhistle Health Centre
Pound for pound … Fr Leo Pyle and Anne-Marie Hanlon raise
the CAFOD cheque over Pat’s head
The whole mystery was revealed at a dinner and dance at Gilsland Spa Hotel on November 16. CAFOD Hexham & Newcastle’s Anne-Marie Hanlon collected a cheque for £4,000 made up of money raised by Pat’s sponsored slim. And Fr Leo received his ‘birthday’ cheque for £7,000, collected through coffee mornings, wine and cheese evenings, a barbecue and a Burns Night Celebration, as well as personal contributions.
Pat said: “Fr Leo’s a great guy. He’s worth every penny. And there was real bonding between the two parishes as a result of working together on this project, so we’re wondering what to do next year.”
Fr Leo is a keen walker, and, although he has recently decided to give up his membership of the Austrian Mountain Club, walks ten to 12 miles every Monday, so the decoration on his birthday cake was a map, a walking stick and a pair of boots. The cake was made by Anne Bell, who runs a cake stall at church to raise money for CAFOD.
Pat said: “At the end of Mass, Fr Leo always says ‘Now it’s CC time!’, which means ‘CAFOD Cakes’!”
Have your cake … The cake for Fr Leo’s
75th birthday was made by Anne Bell
from Haltwhistle. She also sells cakes
and scones she has made after Mass at
St Wilfrid’s to raise money for CAFOD.
So far, she has made £1,750.
Fr Leo is presented with his birthday cheque.
In spite of the cakes, the sponsored slim has also had personal benefits for Pat, who has lost a total of 46 pounds so far! He said: “I do feel better. It’s been a tremendous motivation for me, but I’ve been thinking what do I do now? I did think about walking to the coast from the centre of Britain – which is where Haltwhistle is – but I’ve hammered my body a little bit this year and I’m feeling a few aches, so I think I’ll reflect on it again in the New Year.”
Money is still coming in from sponsors as far away as Norway, where Pat has former colleagues, and some closer to home.
Pat said: “I was at Mass at Haydon Bridge and a guy there said he was only going to pay me half his sponsor money, and would pay the remaining £40 on May 7, but that if I put any weight on, he wanted it back from me at £2 per pound. I said: ‘Well, I’ve lost another four pounds since that night, so it might be better to cut your losses and give me the money now!’”
For more information, contact Pat Peace on 01434 320 471 or Ged Naughton at CAFOD Hexham & Newcastle on 0773 808 8614.
Pictures by Danny Brannigan