SPECIAL guests at an event marking the relaunch of a Rugby town centre pub helped raise hundreds for a life-saving charity based in the town.
Attendees at a launch party at The Courthouse raised £425 for nominated local charity the OurJay Foundation through a raffle and auction of signed sporting memorabilia.
Naomi Rees Issitt, the founder of the OurJay Foundation, spoke to the crowd about the life-saving work of her charity.
The charity was founded by Rugby woman Naomi Rees Issitt to raise awareness, funds and training for accessible defibrillators following the death of her son Jamie Rees of cardiac arrest at the age of 18.
The charity has so far installed 366 publicly accessible defibrillators since its foundation in 2022, and plans to install another one outside the recently refurbished venue.
Naomi said: “All of us at OurJay would like to thank The Courthouse owners and staff for their kindness and for supporting us to continue to raise awareness around the importance of accessible defibrillators and bystander CPR.
“We had a lovely evening with them, where their customers raised an amazing £425 for OurJay, which will help us towards another community accessible defibrillator. We wish them every luck and success.”
Attendees included Mayor Nooria Sayani, who gave a speech on her theme of the three ‘Cs’ – Community, Compassion and Cohesion.
She said: “This is another great addition for Rugby’s town centre development. I welcome independent businesses that create jobs.
“We must also support and encourage independent businesses that add social value. When businesses work with charities they bring about new solutions for the borough, and they help transform lives.”
During the charity auction, Courthouse operator Hari Shankarkrishnamurthy made the winning bid on a signed photo of England’s 1966 World Cup winning squad, which is now on display at the pub.
He said: “We were overwhelmed with the wealth of positive support and feedback we received from everyone who attended the launch event.
“This was such a special occasion for us as we finally got to officially celebrate this exciting new venture with the wider community.”
