Who knew that our very own Mr Attachment could stomach almost anything – especially for charity!

A full day of fun and festivities was had by all at the recent ‘Off the Wall’ charity event held at the Brown Horse, Coley in aid of Marie Curie. Featuring live music from local band the Blind Monkeys (@blindmonkeysband) plus an acoustic set by Lewis Robinson (@lewisrobinsonmusic), there were also raffles for amazing prizes, games galore and delicious homemade cake and craft stalls.

Living next door to the Brown Horse makes this friendly pub a firm favourite for Paul Martin and regular haunt for many of the Prestige team who are particularly partial to the quiz nights. The team were also delighted to lend their experience and support to this event, having organised an annual fundraiser for Marie Curie in previous years.

Blessed with good weather on the day the outdoor challenges proved particularly popular.  A nearest the pin competition awarded 2 prizes – 1 for golfers and a second for those who have never been on a golf course before. However, the most awaited spectacle, was the Bush Tucker Trial undertaken by 3 brave souls including our very own Paul Martin. To add extra intrigue, bets were taken on the performance of each contender. The advantage of knowing one of the competitors was neutralised by a clever twist which dictated that bets were placed on contender A, B or C – but the identity of A, B or C was not revealed until the end of the game!  

MC BT 1
MB BT 2

 The valiant contenders had to survive 4 rounds, munching their way through crunchy Meal Worms and Crickets which tasted like Weetabix with no milk, very chewy Bull’s Bits, followed by the stinky fish Surströmming and finally a very spicy Bloody Mary. Just to give you a ‘taste’ of the fish course –Surströmming is a traditional Swedish delicacy made from fermented Baltic herring. Notorious for its strong odour, its often described as a mix of rotten eggs, pungent cheese and ammonia!

The judging was extremely tough – each contestant had to chew and completely swallow each course before they were through to the next round. Unbelievably after the 4 rounds there was a tie for first place, so the remaining two contestants were subjected to a fifth round, which involved more ‘fish’ (enough said!). From this extreme challenge there arose a hero unrivalled in this awesome eating challenge – Paul Martin.  Now we have always known Paul loves his food, particularly if its fishy, however this was a challenge of epic proportions – well done Paul. Commenting on his win he said:

“People say success leaves a sweet taste in your mouth. Clearly, they’ve never celebrated after eating surströmming (the taste wasn’t nearly as bad as the awful smell) and bull’s bits. I’ll take the trophy, but someone else can keep the menu!”

Whatever the menu, a lot of people contributed to a very successful day which raised a total of just over £4k for this deserving cause – well done everyone. Any volunteers for next Bush Tucker Trial …?