Think you've got some serious cue skills?
Test your shots out on the professionals with our charity 24hr Poolathon.
Let's get the ball rolling to raise as much as we can to support Bristol Mind. The HLD team will be playing pool for 24 hours, lead by our resident pool pro Ben Flack - World and European Champion - who will be playing for the full length of the event.
Date and Time: 10th March 6pm - 6pm 11th March
Venue: Supreme Sports Lounge, Meriton St, Bristol BS2 0SZ
Transport: Great train and bus links. Bristol Temple Meads Station is a short walk away.
We have a host of other professional pool players who have committed to come along and play a few frames against the public. This includes Karl Boyes, Gareth Potts and Bristol's home grown Shane Thompson.
We have a whole load of goings-on to rack up funds:
- Donate to play against the champions.
- Milestone challenges throughout the 24 hours (including Ben Flack shaving his head once past the £1k donation mark).
- Live music and great atmosphere.
- Enter our raffle and buy at our auction. We have stacks of memorabilia including signed merchandise from pro pool players and even tickets to go to the World Pool Masters up for auction.
- Join our pool-playing marathon to see how many games of pool we can complete in 24 hours.
Our Hosts
We have been lucky enough to take over the Supreme Sports Lounge, St Phillips, in Bristol for our fundraising weekend. Huge thank you to the guys at Supreme Sports Lounge, not only an awesome venue for pool but run by great people supporting Mind.
Of course, you'll see us there from Home Leisure Direct. We will be drumming up support, taking donations for Mind, and cheering you all on in your matches against the pool champions. We are a friendly chatty bunch so please feel free to ask us anything and join in the fun.
The Story Behind Our Poolathon
It's no secret that we love Pool at Home Leisure Direct. But there's more to this Poolathon than the love of the game. On 1st March 2022 we lost our friend and Managing Director at Home Leisure Direct Ltd. Michelle (Meesh) Beresford. Meesh suffered for a very long time with mental health issues. Despite trying so hard to overcome them, it became too much for her, and at 39yrs old Meesh ended her life. So, in her honour, and all those who we have lost and all those who are struggling with poor mental health, all the staff at Home Leisure Direct are raising money for Bristol Mind.
Can YOU Beat the Champions?
Check out the credentials below of our confirmed professional pool players who will be taking part in our Poolathon for Bristol Mind. Who would you like to take on?
Ben Flack
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Our resident pool pro at Home Leisure Direct manages commercial sales as well as being a top legend in Pool.
- 2009 World Masters winner
- 2x European Champion
- 7x World Team Championship winner
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Shane Thompson
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Shane 'the safecracker' Thompson recorded one of 8-ball pool’s greatest-ever feats as he claimed back-to-back Ultimate Pool Professional Series titles in the space of one weekend.
- 2021 Ultimate Pool Professional Series Winner
- 2022/2023 Masters qualifier
- World Team Champions 2022
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Gareth Potts
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Gareth has had an unprecedented career since becoming the youngest-ever professional in 2000 leading to his nickname - the golden boy. Potts is officially sponsored by Home Leisure Direct and has helped create a whole library of 'How to" pool videos for us.
- 3x World 8-ball Championship Winner
- 2014 IPA World Blackball Professional Champion
- 2000 Junior World Pool Championship Winner
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Our Incredible Charity Auction Items:
7ft Tournament Pro Pool Table
The table is one-piece slate bed, English pool table which uses 2" Aramith reds and yellows balls as standard.
Provided courtesy of: DPT Pool Tables
Bitcade Cocktail Arcade Machine
Multi-game cocktail arcade machine which plays many of the very best games fromarcade history, including Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, Space Invaders, Galaxian and more.
Courtesy of Bitcade.
UK Open Pool Tickets
2 x weekend tickets to the UK Open Pool Championship in London (3-4 June)
Courtesy of Matchroom Pool.
World Pool Masters Tickets
2 x tickets to the day of choice at World Pool Masters in Brentwood, Essex (10-13 May)
Courtesy of Matchroom Pool.
ArcadePro Mercury 5914 TV Arcade Machine
Multi-game arcade machine TV console that connects to all modern televisions and plays 5914 of the very best games from arcade history, including Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, Space Invaders, Mortal Kombat, Tekken, Metal Slug, King of Fighters and many more classics.
Courtesy of Home Leisure Direct,
Photos signed by Snooker world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan
Photos signed by Snooker world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan.
Courtesy of the Crucible, Reading.