Snooker legend helps with Zambia cause

Buy photos » Dennis Taylor pictured with Observer reporter Nigel Slater. (s)

A VALE school turned snooker loopy when one of the sport's most popular characters was the guest of honour at a charity dinner.

1985 world snooker champion Dennis Taylor made a special visit to Pershore High School on Thursday (July 5) as the school raised funds for its Pershore-Ndola link project.

The long-term project has seen the Station Road school come to the aid of the poverty-stricken Zambian city by helping children have access to basic education and health care.

Taylor, regarded as one of the nation's most popular sportsman, is most remembered for beating Steve Davis in the highly dramatic World Snooker Championship final in 1985 which went all the way to the deciding black ball.

The Crucible final, which was watched by more than £18million viewers, is still regarded as one of the sports most thrilling moments.

The night saw Taylor talk and joke about his snooker career and was joined on the stage by TV comedian Jed Stone who presented the event.

More than £1,500 was raised at the event which saw more than a hundred guests attend. An auction was held afterwards with items of sporting memorabilia selling for hundreds of pounds in aid of the project.

The money will help pay for a back-up generator at the city's Lubuto Medical Clinic which will help stop children's lives being needlessly lost every time there is a power cut.

During the past few weeks, the school has welcomed a number of Zambian visitors to the school to give them a once in a lifetime experience.

Talking to the Observer, Taylor said: "It's great to be involved tonight for such a good cause. Earlier I met one of the Zambian teachers who is a delightful lady and she even got a couple of my Irish jokes.

"It is great to see the students from Zambia here at the school and they are a delight. Its all about broadening people's experiences all over the world. I'd just hope the weather was better for them."

For more information about the Pershore-Ndola link project visit the school's website at /www.pershore.worcs.sch.uk/.

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