A CHARITY fundraiser is being held in aid of the British Lung Foundation at the Rose and Crown Hotel, Harnham, Salisbury from 7pm until midnight on November 8.

Organisers Pam, Kate and Tracey Merrifield are holding the event in memory of their husband and dad, Rod Merrifield.

Pam said: “Rod was a truly wonderful man, yes it is true, we are biased, but anyone who met him was blessed.

“He was a gentleman in every sense of the word; kind and gentle with a great sense of humour and always thought of others before himself. We were such a close family; there was nothing more important to Rod than his family.

“He lived and worked in the Salisbury area all of his life. In September 1999, Rod was diagnosed with Fibrosing Alveolitis and in December 1999, he lost a very brave and courageous fight and sadly was taken from us.

“He wasn’t ready to leave us and we definitely were not ready for him to go.

“We miss him dearly. Since he died we have worked to raise awareness of the British Lung Foundation and money for the charity in his memory.

“We opened a Breath of Life fund several years ago and have held several events in his memory.

We truly hope that by funding research through Rod’s fund that we can save others the pain of having to lose loved ones from such an aggressive disease.”

The evening is a cruise theme and guests will cruise virtually down through the Mediterranean, stopping at Barcelona, Nice, Cannes, Corfu, Dubrovnik, Venice, Rome, Florence and Montecarlo.

Some 95 guests will arrive in the ‘check-in’ lounge at 7pm and enjoy welcome drinks and the sounds of live singer Georgia Clarke before boarding the ship: Legacy of the Sea.

Whilst on board guests will be enjoy a three-course banquet and be entertained by the crew and other guests (members of Redlynch Players), visuals and sounds from each port by video jockey Jay Olsen, of Eventimate, and there will be an on-board photographer.

Later, guests can enjoy the casino, beauty room and dance the night away as they continue their journey through the Med.

An additional 35 guests will join the party in Greece at 9pm as the cruise party gets into full swing. There are 30 after-dinner tickets available. A raffle includes a five-day UK Shearings holiday for two people to a destination of their choice.

Further details can be found at rod.merrifield.muchloved.com.