A wonderful evening of food, music and fundraising at The Drill Hall has raised around £1,800 for the Severn Area Rescue Association (SARA), the Mayor of Chepstow’s chosen charity for 2026/27.
The Mayor, Cllr Vanessa Badderley-Potter, welcomed guests to her first Mayoral charity event of the year on Saturday 10 October, bringing the community together to support SARA’s vital rescue work across the Severn area.
Organised in collaboration with Marmalade House Café, the evening featured a three-course Ceylon curry buffet with an impressive variety of dishes, from vegan kottu and beetroot curry to black pork and chicken curry, alongside delicious starters and desserts.
Audience member Jan Karvick entertained the crowd before local band Gate 7 took to the stage following the meal, with some guests taking to the dance floor. A raffle featuring a range of prizes, including a VIP boat trip with SARA and vouchers from Marmalade House Café, gave lucky winners some treats to take home.
Nadine Ikin, Fundraising Volunteer at SARA, said the evening’s fundraising had exceeded the charity’s expectations. “It was a fabulous evening, and we are very thankful for all the time and energy Vanessa and all the councillors have put behind us for this brilliant fundraising event. Thank you so much.”
Mayor Vanessa Badderley-Potter spoke of the essential work of SARA and thanked everybody there. “SARA are made up entirely of volunteers and they rely on fundraising so it is wonderful to see so many people come together to support them. Thank you to everyone who bought a ticket and chose to spend their Saturday evening helping this vital charity, whose volunteers work tirelessly to help keep people safe across our local area. I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who helped make the evening such a success.”
Supporting SARA’s rescue boats
All proceeds from the event will support SARA’s ‘Replacing SARA Rescue Boats’ project, which includes replacing some boats and refurbishing existing vessels.
SARA provides volunteer-led rescue services across a wide area along and around the River Severn, including lifeboat operations, land search and rescue, and specialist cliff, mud and swift-water rescue. Its volunteer crews are on call around the clock, all year round, with no one paid for their operational work.
One of the boats used by SARA’s Beachley team, RESCUE 5, has been involved in numerous rescues over the years, including during flooding in Monmouth and surrounding areas. The Jeanneau Rigiflex Newmatic 360 is designed to launch in difficult locations, but it is now due for an upgrade to a more modern and reliable flood rescue boat.
Fundraising events such as the curry night help SARA meet the substantial costs of maintaining its rescue capability, including boats, fuel, insurance, specialist equipment and training.
The Mayor and Chepstow Town Council would like to thank everyone who attended, donated raffle prizes and helped make the evening such a success, alongside Cheni and Marmalade House Café, Gate 7 and Jan Karvick for their contributions.
To find out more about SARA and its work, visit the Severn Area Rescue Association website.
Photos (credit Cllr Jim MacTaggart)
-Members of the SARA team at the Mayor’s charity curry night, including (from left) Steve Lewis, Nadine Ikin, Toity Deave, Warren Lester, Steve Trott and Ryan Games, alongside Duke of Edinburgh Award students Ben, Liam and Thomas
-3-course buffet meal from Marmalade House Cafe
-Gate 7 entertain the guests after the meal
-Guests enjoy the charity event