THE GREAT CHARITY SHOW

By Humphrey Carter R OBERT Winsor, his sponsors and his charity golfers yesterday brought a ray of sunshine and hope into the lives of another group of disabled and special needs children in Majorca. Yesterday the Robert Winsor Charity Golf presented the fruits of this year's charity golf tournament at the Santa Ponsa Country Club. Held at the Royal Bendinat Golf Club, this year's tournament was the fifth Winsor has staged in Majorca and yesterday 100.000 euros worth of medicine, clothing, specialist equipment and toys was handed out to eight different local associations which care for children with special needs. Winsor, who held his first charity golf tournament for disabled children in England back in 1980 and five years ago, after moving to Majorca, held his first event at Bendinat. That first charity tournament raised enough money to provide ten disabled children with state-of-the-art electric wheelchairs. Since then the event has gone from strength to strength. It now runs a fleet of five special mini-buses, and Winsor is each year persuaded into holding another by the army of local sponsors and the celebrities. This year, the tournament raised 100.000 euros, taking his total from the five Majorcan events to 400.374 euros and just 45.000 euros short of the million euro mark overall which is his target at next year's charity event. Yesterday, AMABIDA, the association of mothers of disabled children in the Balearics received funds to help buy a special bed, heat massage machines, special rehabilitation balls and various domestic appliances for its day care centre. The Balearic association for cerebral palsy, ASPACE, were given a number of new wheelchairs and a special toilet on wheels and a bath. The Balearic downs syndrome association, ASNIMO, took possession of one of the specially adapted minibuses. The other, which has been fitted with a power lift so that children in wheelchairs can be lifted in and out of the mini bus safely and comfortably, was presented to the Mater Misericordia. The Fundacion Miñones received a shipment of medicine and clothing. This year, part of the funds raised were used to cover part of the costs of treating a local boy Alvaro L. Lopez who is suffering from cancer. The AMITICIA association received financial help to buy an electric crane and the Centro Gaspar Hauser for autistic children was given a table-tennis table and other sports equipment while the Joves Navigants foundation, which donated a cruise in its 72-foot yacht to the charity auction, received 50 percent of the money raised back as a donation to help the foundation through the winter. Representatives from all of the associations, parents of some of the lucky children, sponsors and organisers all attended yesterday's presentation and enjoyed a special buffet at the Country Club. Over the years, the golf tournament has attracted the support and participation of many of Britain's top singers, comedians and sporting personalities, many of which return year after year to help Robert Winsor's charity which has become the biggest annual fund raising event in Majorca. Jasper Carrott, Alan Ball, Stan Boardman, Gareth Hunt, Robert Powell, Jimmy Greaves, David Lloyd and Peter Stringfellow are just a few of the celebrities who have donated their support to the event.