THE MILLION POUND LUNCH
Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Invincible Lions Tour of South Africa 1974 and a significant milestone for the Ulster Region of Wooden Spoon
The Ulster Region of Wooden Spoon were delighted and honoured in June this year to organize the Golden Anniversary Reunion of the famous British and Irish Lions Tour to South Africa in 1974. The team played 22 matches, winning 21 and drawing 1.
Eighteen of the remaining 23 Players and their Partners gathered in Belfast, including Sir Ian McGeechan, Sir Gareth Edwards, Fran Cotton, Andy Irvine, Michael Gibson and, of course, their Captain Willie John McBride – who is also President of the Wooden Spoon Ulster Region.
It proved to be an historic occasion for several reasons. At the Lunch the Ulster Region raised nearly £60000 which saw them reach £1 million in fundraising since their formation in 1995. In addition an audience of 400 listened to stories of the famous tour fifty years previously from the Legends present in the room at the Culloden Estate and Spa near Belfast. Also speaking was former Lions player Martin Bayfield who added his own very entertaining Lions stories from a slightly less successful Tour!
The Ulster Region would like to thank all the Sponsors, Table Hosts, our MC Jim Neilly, the Culloden Estate and Spa and everybody else who helped to make this historic event a fantastic success and one that will live in the memory for a long time to come.
