Curry On Up the Dale 14, the Trust’s now-famous Curry Evening, occurred recently.
Although sad news about Joey T was to be announced the next day, members, fans, and guests had a thoroughly enjoyable time—something we know Joey would have appreciated and enjoyed, particularly as his Dale mentor, Keith Hill, was among the guests.
Curry night wouldn’t be the same without a touch of madness, which would arrive later in the evening, courtesy of Lee Percy! More about that later.
Over 80 guests filled the 1907 lounge at the COA to enjoy food from Scratch catering and excellent speakers Aaron Wilbraham, Josh Lillis, and Keith Hill. All three were in fine form, providing fascinating insights into football as they experienced it.
We must extend our thanks to Trust Director Keith Hicks, seen here on the right with our guests, for organising our guest lineup. A former Dale player himself, he is also the Rochdale Former Players Association’s coordinator.
The evening was wonderfully hosted by the legend that he is, David “The Doc” Dockerty.
David, seen here on the left with “The Gaffer” himself, Keith Hill, maintained a high energy level and ensured everything flowed smoothly. He led an enjoyable stand-up bingo, which invited everyone to stand up and then sit down, the Silent Auction, which still puzzles me somewhat, and the main auction of the evening, which alone raised over £800 for the Trust’s charitable causes initiatives!
Of the many highlights of the evening, our guest speakers, as mentioned above, truly stood out. 
They all went above and beyond, appearing in countless selfies with guests and sharing humorous anecdotes and fascinating insights into how they started in the game. One even managed to win a food mixer in the raffle for his wife; actually, she chose it, but Aaron took credit for buying the winning ticket. So that’s cakes, etc., on him next year, then?
We could not find a picture of Aaron’s food mixer prize, but we found the box, here featured with Aaron and “The Doc” is said box on the right!
Our primary auction showcased highly sought-after Dale shirts, some framed and others unframed, but all unique and collectable. It was also to be the beginning of guest Lee Percy’s eventful evening!
In stark contrast to the shirts, during what was to become a truly competitive auction bidding event, there was an opportunity to co-present live on Radio Bolton, David Dockerty’s Radio show. David’s weekend programme boasts one of the largest local radio audiences in the country, and the fortunate winner, Mark, will spend an afternoon with David, live on air, chatting and presenting the show. 
Winner Mark (centre) seen above with”The Doc” and Trust Vice Chair Dave Earnshaw.
As a side note, David mentioned that Mark can bring as many guests as he likes, provided they fit in the studio; hmm, he might regret that!
One of the night’s high-humour moments demonstrated that imbibing certain beverages may lead to odd decisions, which may later become folklore!
Member and our good friend Lee Percy, a prominent figure in our colleague organisation DALE 1907, brightened the evening during the raffle. Lee had requested that we keep quiet about the two, or was it three, shirts he bid on that night to ensure that Mrs. Percy wouldn’t discover his new collection. In a generous move, Lee made a thoughtful decision when selecting his raffle prize. Oh, and don’t worry, Lee, we won’t say anything about your successful bids, other than thank you!
The raffle is always well-known for featuring last year’s unwanted Christmas presents alongside some valuable items. This year, we had several impressive prizes, including a high-end food mixer (not one of those small models), premium brandy, whiskey, and expensive wines. We also offered hospitality packages for two to dine out and many other great prizes. One standout item was supplied by Minky, the household product manufacturing giant based in Rochdale.
The raffle, overseen meticulously by host David and Trust chair Bob, began with the winning whiskey and brandy. When Lee’s name was drawn fourth from the hat, he was astounded to learn he had won. Delighted, he approached to have his ticket verified. He mumbled a reminder for us to keep quiet about the auction items he had won earlier, then surveyed the remaining prizes. With a magnanimous gesture, explaining that he needed to choose something for “her indoors,” he made his selection.
So Lee is now the proud owner of an Ironing Board! We hope Mrs P was as delighted as we were when we presented it!
Lee (on the right in the pic above) was so pleased with his win that he insisted on a group photo, and yes, we have that, too!
In the photo above, Matt Cullen, who won the Nevett shirt, Host Dave Dockerty, Guest Mark Tomkinson, peering over the famous ironing board, the man himself, Lee Percy, Matt Devine, an even taller Devine, James, and Trust Vice Char Dave Earnshaw are seen sharing Lee’s glee.
Thank you, Lee, for being such a great sport! We expect even better prize choices next year.
We round off this year’s Curry Night review with a photo gallery of auction winners below. First, we want to thank Trust Director Dave Earnshaw, who organised and cajoled us and made all the decisions that resulted in such a brilliant evening. Thanks, Dave. You passed the audition, and you have the job for next year.
Photo Gallery, just some of tonight’s successful auction winners.
Featured from left to right, 1) Someone we can’t name, 2) Guest George Delves, George, if it was not for he fact that Ann (who had taken my debit card off me) was giving me the dagger stare, you might not have got that Lillis shirt, just saying Lol, 3) David Bottomley (Not that one!) 4) Matt Cullen with his Nevett prize shirt. All presented by our organising chap, Dave Earnshaw.
The Trust would like to thank all our members, guests, sponsors, and those who donated prizes, including the ironing board, for attending and making this year’s Curry Night 14 a special event.
We leave with a photo gallery of other prize winners and guests from the night
