ORGANISERS of Rockbourne Fair celebrated another successful year by presenting over £51k to the Stars Appeal, Salisbury District Hospital’s Charity.

Members of the Rockbourne Fair Committee presented their donation to the President of the Stars Appeal, the Earl of Pembroke, and the charity’s Hospital Ambassadors on Thursday, January 18th.

A total of £51,533 was raised at the boutique shopping event, which took place from October 18 to 20, 2023, at Salisbury Racecourse. A whopping £261,514 has now been raised at the last five Rockbourne Fairs.

The presentation took place at the Neonatal Unit. Afterwards, Bev Moulding and Sarah Ewen, of the Rockbourne Fair Committee, and Lord Pembroke were given a tour of the Stars Appeal parents’ accommodation at the unit during which they met parents and babies.

They were also able to listen to a Stars Appeal musician playing lullabies on the harp and saw some of the advanced equipment that donations to the charity have recently funded.

Salisbury Journal: Rockbourne Fair

Bev Moulding, the chair of the Rockbourne Fair Committee, said: “We are absolutely delighted by the incredible success of Rockbourne Fair 2023. Raising over £51,000 for the Stars Appeal goes beyond our expectations especially in the current economic climate and speaks volumes about the dedication of our volunteers, the quality of our stallholders, and the support from every visitor who walked through our doors.

“Every penny raised will make a significant difference in enhancing patient care and supporting our hardworking NHS staff. This is a proud moment for all of us involved in the Fair, and it reinforces our commitment to continue to put on this fun and much-loved pre-Christmas shopping event.”

The fair featured over 100 handpicked artisan stalls offering a wide variety of items for shoppers from fashion, jewellery, and luxury homeware to gourmet food and toys.

Salisbury Journal: Rockbourne Fair 2023 has been labelled an incredible success.Rockbourne Fair 2023 has been labelled an incredible success. (Image: Spencer Mulholland)

President of the Stars Appeal, Lord Pembroke said: “On behalf of the Stars Appeal, I want to say a massive thank you to the Rockbourne Fair Committee. The fantastic amount of money raised is a testament to their hard work and dedication, and to the brilliant support and generosity of our local community.

"It will enable the Stars Appeal to do even more to support our hospital and the local people it cares for by funding state-of-the-art equipment, enhancing facilities and providing ongoing projects to support the wellbeing of patients."

Donations from the Rockbourne Fair help the Stars Appeal towards its goal of raising more than £1million each year to fund projects supporting local people being treated at Salisbury District Hospital.

Projects the charity are currently looking to fund include six high definition videoscopes for head and neck cancer patients, a mechanical chest compression machine, and 20 specialist cots for newborn babies on the labour and postnatal wards. 

The Rockbourne Fair will return to Salisbury Racecourse from October 16 to 18.

To read more about the projects the Stars Appeal is currently fundraising for visit starsappeal.org/what-were-fundraising-for/.