Happy Friday, dear readers. While uncertainty over our country's future continues, Society Diary is reassured that everything is going to be fine as the Queen insists that everyone should "come together to seek out the common ground". With that in mind, let Diary take you through this week's charity highlights.
Mistaken identity
This week, a charity chief executive was mistaken for a football manager by a Sky Sports News reporter. Martin “From Wakefield” Warhurst, boss of Yorkshire-based Martin House Hospice, was mistaken for Huddersfield Town’s at the time yet to be appointed new chief, Jan Siewert, when he was sat in the crowd watching his beloved Manchester City.
Warhurst recounted the hilarious exchange: “He said, 'Jan, the new manager'. I laughed and went, 'No, no, that's not me. I'm Martin from Wakefield'.”
In the banter-addicted world of football, the Terriers capitalised on the reporter’s innocent mix-up by asking Warhust to appear in the club’s official unveiling video of #NotMartinFromWakefield Siewert. The awkwardly acted clip went down a treat with the football community, earning almost 30,000 likes on Twitter.
Welcome to #htafc…#NotMartinFromWakefield (SE) pic.twitter.com/n0s3RFG2w5
— Huddersfield Town (@htafcdotcom) 21 January 2019
Warhurst was in demand with other news outlets throughout the week to regale them with his amazing anecdote. To be fair to him, he has used this opportunity to publicise the great work of his charity, which Diary imagines has led to a welcome boost in donations.
There’s a lesson for charities who could do with a profile boost: hire a chief executive who looks a bit like a relatively unknown European football manager. As soon as their doppleganger is linked with a move to a premier league club, make sure they sit in the stands near the press box.
Elsewhere in football-related charity news this week, Everton midfielder Andre Gomes raised £2,000 for charity by hugging 200 fans at £10 a pop. The money will go toward the building of The People's Place, a mental health centre close to the club's stadium.
As a fierce guarder of its personal space, Diary would find such a task unbearable so has nothing but respect for handsome Andre. Diary is saddened to hear however that Gomes is now set to sit out the weekend’s game after straining his metatarsal in a particularly strong hug.
Terrify your family
The Children’s Trust could be set for a windfall from the sale of a seven-foot-tall statue of sci-fi film monster The Predator. Indeed, what living room is complete without an extra-terrestrial beast looming over your family as they watch TV?
Diary reckons the statue might be a good investment as makeshift babysitter – tell your kids the Predator will come alive and eat them if they don’t do their homework before bedtime.
The statue is currently a bargain, with the highest bid of just £185 leading the way. The eBay for Charity auction has nine days left to run, however, so this could go much higher.
Putting the fun (-draising) into poker
There’s nothing quite like scraping all the shiny poker chips off the table while fellow players look on dumbfounded as you plot how to spend the winnings.
A new car, nice holiday or investing the funds in a high-interest savings account… are just some of the things that spring to mind.
But for one gambler this is far too self-centred, and he’s decided to give all his winnings to charity.
Scott Wellenbach, a Buddhist poker player recently came third in a Bahamas tournament, netting him over £500,000, but will give it all away to charity, because while he enjoys the game, he is uncomfortable with winning money from people who might be addicted.
This week he told PokerNews.Com that: “I hope that somehow a wise decision happens and the money goes to good purposes and certain human beings or other sentient beings, animals or whatever, beings with feelings, [so] that their lives are eased in some way.”
And he previously told CBC news that: “A significant amount of your money is won from people who are too addicted, too drunk, too unstudied or too masochistic to play well – and we all have those features within us.
“In any case, feel there’s a tension about winning money under those circumstances, and I guess I rationalise my addiction by giving away the winnings, saying, ‘Well, at least I’m doing good things with it.’”
He’s been giving away his winning since 2010 and charities that have benefited include several Buddhist charities, as well as Oxfam and Doctors Without Borders.
Diary wonders how many charities are planning a strategy for reaching out to high-stakes poker players and encouraging them to assuage their guilt by handing over a chunk of their winnings to a good cause… If anyone is planning a research trip to Las Vegas, Diary is more than willing to tag along as a consultant.
Donkey Kong nightmares
Finally, YouTube star Hbomberguy, real name Harry Brewis, raised a massive $350,000 for charity by playing videogame Donkey Kong for 57-hours straight.
Asked by Novara Media how he is recovering from the marathon streaming session, Hbomberguy said: “It’s hard returning back to reality. Sometimes when I shut my eyes I briefly see a flash of a blue cartoon beaver taunting me.
“I don’t think that will ever go away. I felt like I would stop having nightmares about Donkey Kong if I could just beat the game finally.”
Hbomberguy chose to raise the money for Mermaids, a charity supporting transgender children and teenagers. The Big Lottery Fund (BLF) is currently reviewing a £500,000 grant it made to the charity after being sent many letters of “concern”.
Hbomberguy took particular aim at former sitcom genius and now fulltime online anti-trans activist Graham Linehan for encouraging users of Mumsnet to complain. He mocked Linehan’s campaigning efforts for actually helping to raise more awareness of the charity.
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