The donations were received at a mass presentation ceremony at the old Phuket Provincial Hall on Thursday (Dec 15). Some 30-odd individuals, businesses, local organisations and community groups made separate donations ranging from B5,000 to B310,000, with two donors pledging the donation of a motorbike each.
The annual fair, for years now in Phuket called the ‘Dee Phuket Fair’, will feature all the attractions of a large-scale Thai-style fair, with live music and cultural performances each night along with hundreds of vendors selling local food and other products.
A key traditional attraction for the fair are the lucky draw prizes that are raffled off to raise funds for community outreach and support projects conducted by the Phuket Red Cross throughout the year.
The lucky draws in years past have included major prizes such as a B2.29 million townhouse, cars and motorbikes, and small gold ingots.
Details about the fundraising activities and any raffles to be held at the fair this year have yet to be announced.
The funds raised are used to carry out local Red Cross community projects across the island and to support flood and drought disaster victims elsewhere in Thailand.