The Mayor of Barnsley raises over £25,000 for mayoral charities

As the Mayor of Barnsley’s mayoral year draws to a close, retiring mayor, Cllr John Clarke JP, is thrilled to announce that he’s raised a magnificent £26,489.56 for his chosen charities - Age UK Barnsley and The Well, Barnsley Hospital Charity, during his year as mayor.

The staggering amount raised has been split equally between the two local charities which the mayor personally chose at the beginning of his term. Last week, representatives from the two charities were invited to the mayor’s parlour to be presented with their cheques for £13,244.78 each. The total amount raised included a payment made directly to each charity from proceeds raised at the Mayor’s Charity Golf Day, which was hosted by Wates, along with match funding from the Wates Family Enterprise Trust.  

Throughout the year, the mayor and mayoress have organised and hosted a number of fund-raising events which were a great success. Highlights include a sponsored walk with the mayoress, the Mayor’s Ball, Charity Golf Day and a number of karaoke evenings - not to mention a social evening with free entertainment provided by Angel Voices Performing Arts Academy and huge support from the community team at Tesco Superstore, Stairfoot.

Here, the Mayor of Barnsley expresses his personal thanks: “As my year as mayor draws to a close, I am absolutely over the moon to have raised such a phenomenal amount money to help my chosen charities, both of which mean a lot to me. To be able to hand over a cheque for over £13,000 to each of my chosen charities is such an honour.  

“My fundraising efforts have been a real highlight of my year and a real joint effort between colleagues, partners, and residents. It’s been wonderful to see so many people get behind me - whether that be buying a raffle ticket, joining in my karaoke evenings or simply donating. At the start of my mayoral year, I said I hoped to do my charities proud and together we’ve done just that. 

“It's been an absolute honour for Doreen and I to serve Barnsley as mayor and mayoress and raising money for my chosen charities has been just one highlight. We’ve cherished all the opportunities it has given us - we’ve met so many outstanding people from all walks of life; we’ve hosted visits to the town hall from local schools and met many inspirational volunteers who contribute to making our town exemplary.

“We also had the privilege of hosting a Royal visit from HRH The Duke of Edinburgh last October which was a special moment. We’ve seen wonderful progress towards our vision for the borough including the celebration of the Outstanding Ofsted rating with the Adult Education team and the launch of the Pathways to Work initiative. It has certainly been a year in our life we will never forget and thank everyone for their support.

“On Friday, I will be passing the baton over to Cllr Leech, who will be welcomed as the new Mayor for 2025-26 and I wish him well as he takes on this honourable role.”                    

Find out more about the incoming mayor here.