Flogged it! for Shaw Trust at the Barge Inn

BBC TV's Paul Martin was on hand to help The Barge Inn, nr Melksham, raise over £1,400 for local charity Shaw Trust. Paul who lives locally and presents Flog It!, switched roles for the night to become auctioneer, selling an impressive 25 lots for the charity including a rare chance to fish on the River Itchen in Hampshire, a day on Sally Boats Barge and a dinner party for 6 cooked by a professional chef.

The auction signalled the start of a major fund-raising initiative by Paul Hayes, Manager and Chef at the Barge Inn and David Smith, Assistant Manager, who are both running the Virgin London Marathon in April to raise funds towards Shaw Trust's vital work supporting disabled and disadvantaged people to find employment and live more independent lives. With the 26 mile run approaching fast, the duo is doing all it can to secure donations:

Paul Hayes said, “Paul Martin really hammered home the importance of Shaw Trust’s work and to have raised £1,427 before we’ve even started the race, is fantastic. We’d like to thank him, all the businesses who donated to the auction and everyone who bought a lot or donated money."

"Knowing that we have such strong local support will be a huge incentive for both David and myself as we pound the streets of London in a few week’s time but we want to raise even more money. Shaw Trust is a local charity that can change lives and we want to raise as much money as possible so that the organisation can continue to help people in communities such as ours.”

You can donate by visiting www.justgiving.com/djsmith86 or www.justgiving.com/Paul-Haynes-marathon-man  Alternatively, do pop into The Barge Inn where Paul or David will be happy to help you donate! 

Notes to editor

Shaw Trust is a national charity, formed in 1982, which helps people with disability or disadvantage to find work and achieve independence. We do this not only by delivering government programmes, but also through our own self-funded initiatives, and by campaigning to change attitudes at all levels. Across the UK more than 1,600 staff now oversee a diverse range of more than 200 projects.

If you would like to support the work that Shaw Trust does to help disabled and disadvantaged people find work and achieve independence please visit our website

Photocaption (L-R): Flog It! For Shaw Trust

David Smith, the Assistant Manager

Paul Martin, presenter Flog It! & TV personality

Paul Hayes, Manager and Chef at the Barge Inn

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