THE Bournemouth Highcliff Marriott hotel has backed the southern regional Special Olympics team for success by handing over £2,000 to the team before they left for the national GB Special Olympics competition in Bath.

The competition brought together more than 1,700 athletes from across the UK in the country’s largest sports event for athletes with intellectual disabilities.

The event is held every four years and pits competitors against each other in 12 sports over the five-day competition.

General manager of the hotel, Andrew Francis, said: “When we first discovered these Special Olympics we were absolutely compelled to get involved.

“It was fantastic to be able to hand over this money to our regional team, who represented us with great determination at the Games, and have returned with a string of Gold, Silver and Bronze medals – we’re immensely proud, and salute their success.”

Rebecca Osborne, sales director at the hotel, added: “Our staff and customers are thrilled to have been able to raise £2,000 over the past 10 months, and this is just the beginning.

“We are continuing our fundraising efforts with two events coming up over the next couple of months, including a fashion show on September 25 and a quiz night on October 17.

“We’d love to get more local residents involved, and they can call us on 01202 200813 to book tickets to these events.”