Bar manager is toast of Burnley after her year long booze ban raises thousands for charity

A bar manager, who vowed to give up alcohol for a year, has completed the challenge and raised the fantastic total of £6,000 for a cause she is passionate about.
Shelly Heap is ready to party after her completing her "no beer for a year" challenge to raise 6,000 for charity.Shelly Heap is ready to party after her completing her "no beer for a year" challenge to raise 6,000 for charity.
Shelly Heap is ready to party after her completing her "no beer for a year" challenge to raise 6,000 for charity.

Mum-of-three Shelly Heap raised the staggering amount thanks to a variety of fund raising events and also generous donations from well wishers.

The money will be donated to the charity PAPYRUS for the prevention of young suicide, a cause close to Shelly’s heart.

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Shelly, who is the bar manager at Lowerhouse Cricket Club where her husband, Ben, is team captain, started the “no beer for a year challenge” to help raise cash and also awareness of the charity.

Shelly was brave enough to post an "after party" photo on social media at the request of her friends.Shelly was brave enough to post an "after party" photo on social media at the request of her friends.
Shelly was brave enough to post an "after party" photo on social media at the request of her friends.

She said: “I am not a big drinker but it has been harder than I thought but so worth it if I have helped people along the way and possibly saved someone’s life.

"My aim was to raise awareness of the charity and what it does and I hope I have achieved that.

"I have received a lot of messages from people who said they were struggling and it has saved them

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Shelly threw a celebration party at the cricket club for family and friends who supported her and she enjoyed her favourite tipple of cider for the first time in 12 months.

And although the evening was about having fun Shelly organised a raffle and auction to boost the cash raised even further.

Shelly (41) has been overwhelmed by the support her challenge has received as it has proved tough at times, particularly with her job and also over the summer during the World Cup, Christmas and the New Year period.

And she faced another challenge when she had to toast Lowerhouse Cricket Club’s victory at winning the Worsley Cup with lemonade.

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PAPYRUS was founded in 1997 by Jean Kerr, a mother from Lancashire. She and a small group of parents who had each lost a child to suicide were convinced that that many are preventable.

The name, PAPYRUS, came from the original name of the charity, Parents Association the Prevention of Young Suicide.

The charity now has a UK-wide membership organisation dedicated to the prevention of young suicide.

HOPELineUK is a specialist telephone helpline service staffed by trained professionals who give non-judgemental support, practical advice and information to children, teenagers and young people up to the age of 35 who are worried about themselves and to anyone who is concerned about a young person.

For more information about the charity email [email protected] and the HOPELineUK number is 0800 068 41

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