Albert’s Army race to support Abby’s Heroes!

A group of friends from Binfield have fundraised an amazing £5500 for children’s cancer charity Abby’s Heroes by organising a Race Night attended by over 100 people.

The Race Night held at Binfield Primary School was organised by Vicki Dobson from Binfield along with her friends – Mary and Stuart Wharpshire, Chris Ray, Jan Watkins, Kathy Hogan, Jan Stedman and Jean Harvey. This was the latest in a series of events organised by the friends in support of Abby’s Heroes which have included a highly successful 'Binfield Family Fun Day', bucket collections at Tesco in Warfield, Christmas Wreath Workshops and a Race Night in 2025. In fact, the first Race Night was such a success that the friends who call themselves 'Albert’s Army' decided to organise this further Race Night.

Vicki Dobson decided to fundraise for Abby’s Heroes when her grandson Albert was diagnosed with a rare form of leukaemia and was admitted to Southampton General Hospital initially staying there for 5 months. Vicki commented “As you can imagine when Albert went into hospital it was a very difficult and emotional time and throughout this the only chink of light in our lives was the support our family received from Abby’s Heroes. It really felt they were here for us when we needed support, guidance and a shoulder to cry on. When I told my friends about the help Abby’s Heroes had given us they all wanted to do something practical to support the charity.”

Kathy Hogan, one of Albert’s Army, added “After the first Race Night everyone was asking when the next one would take place, so it was a no brainer to organise this one. It was a fantastic night with so many of our family, friends and the local Binfield community attending in large numbers. We were all delighted with the success of the night – there was such a wonderful atmosphere, and it showed the power of community and how kind people are.”

David Fawcett, Community Fundraiser for Abby’s Heroes, commented “Vicki is an amazing person, without her hard work, commitment and sheer strength this and the other events would not have happened. As a charity we are extremely grateful for the ongoing support of Albert’s Army.”

As well as the group of friends many other colleagues, family and the business community have supported Vicki and Alberts Army. Businesses that have supported the Race night included David Cliff Property, Binfield Primary School, Khori Noor, Advantage Print, Peach Dental, We Repair Tech, Daphne’s Coffee Shop, Primavera, Sportsguide Ltd and Pentre.

Stuart Wharpshire said “The success of the Race Night is very much down to the expertise and personality of Vicki along with her amazing friends. I was delighted to play a small part in the events success, it really felt like the whole village came out to support Albert, Vicki and Abby’s Heroes.”

Vicki added “We were delighted to fundraise £5500 for Abby’s Heroes, meaning they can continue to support children with cancer and their families. This event and the other events we have organised have only been possible because of the support of my incredible friends and the wonderful Binfield community. We are very grateful to everyone who has got involved.”

Vicki and Albert’s Army have now fundraised an incredible £30,000 for Abby’s Heroes over the last 3 years. Vicki added “I can’t believe we have managed to fundraise such a large sum, but we haven’t stopped yet – I wonder what we will do next?”