Boxing hero Frank Bruno was in town on Friday to join a local group of fundraisers from Alea Casino Glasgow, in their bid to cycle the distance from Glasgow to Las Vegas in aid of the casino’s charitable partner SportsAid. He was joined on the night by members of Glasgow’s boxing community and celebrity chef Tony Singh, who has a restaurant at the casino.
Frank was selected to support and motivate the staff on their charity ‘cyclethon’ following feedback from locals that boxing is their favourite spectator sport. The team will travel a grand total of 4909 miles on an exercise bike in Alea casino’s reception. Locals are invited to donate whilst watching the team carry out their mission. The aim is to raise thousands of pounds for SportsAid – a charity that helps young sports people overcome the financial challenges they face in their bid to become Britain’s next generation of sporting heroes.
Susan McGowan at Alea Glasgow said, “When locals told us that boxing is where it’s at in terms of sporting excitement, Frank seemed like the ideal choice to both motivate our team and inject some celebrity buzz into our fundraising activities. And Vegas seemed like the perfect destination due to our unique link with Caesars Palace, so come on Glasgow, dig deep and help us on our way!”
As well as hopping on the bike itself, Frank attended a SportsAid dinner at the casino that evening, taking part in a public interview to answer questions about his life and career.
Frank with a fan on the night [/caption]
The event was part of ALEA casino’s on-going commitment to the charity, part of which will see a £1,000 donation to local Paralympics hopeful Meggan Farrel-Dawson later this month. Meggan, who is 23, was born with spina bifida and the money is to empower her to continue pursuing her sporting hopes and dreams. Aleas in Glasgow is considered one of the top casinos to check when visiting the city.
Since 1976, SportsAid has helped many of nation’s most successful sportsmen and women. Some of the best known former SportsAid recipients are Sir Chris Hoy, David Weir CBE, Mo Farah CBE, Dame Sarah Storey, Jessica Ennis-Hill CBE, Ellie Simmonds OBE and Sir Bradley Wiggins.
Alea Glasgow is operated by Caesars Entertainment EMEA, part of Caesars Entertainment Corporation, one of the world’s largest casino entertainment companies and best known for properties such as Caesars Palace, Planet Hollywood and Harrah’s.
Pictures by Paul Gallagher
