More than 150 excited guests gathered at the Chase Hotel, Ross-on-Wye, on Friday, March 9th to enjoy a stroll through time, with residents of Ross Court and members of Hope Support Services, and raised £2,522 for this Ross-based charity.

As Quentin Letts said when he introduced the evening, it was a tremendous meeting of the old and young, two generations coming together.

He talked about the terrible pressure young people can be under today and they are not given credit for the good they do. He said he knew that having a family member with a serious or life threatening illness can be incredibly stressful. He shared his own experience as his sister died recently leaving three children, he said they were not teenagers but it was still very difficult. However, his niece has raised £25,000 for breast cancer, which he said was admirable.

Mr Letts was, as always, hugely entertaining, he talked about the reasons why he loves Herefordshire and Ross. He said we have the best potholes in the country and a one way system which ensures that visitors never leave.

He also gave lots of personal anecdotes about members of the Houses of Parliament.

A look back at fashions from the 1920s to the present day then followed, as members of Hope took to the cat walk. They were accompanied by recordings of the residents of Ross Court describing the clothes they wore for different events, from knitted bathing suits to the full skirts of the 1950s.

Amanda Denny, Recreation and Activities Co-ordinator and Mrs Janet Auty, Home Manager of Ross Court Care Home, said that it has been inspiring to step between the generations.

Amanda said, “Our residents, having experienced loss themselves, can genuinely relate to the young people Hope are helping, they truly understand how they feel.”

Mrs Auty told the Ross Gazette, “We, as always, have been overwhelmed by the community spirit, both from our generous sponsors but also the local community who attended the event to support Hope. It has been a real pleasure to be involved.”See the full story in this week’s edition of the Ross Gazette, or subscribe to our online edition here