Nestling on the hillside above the holiday village of Saundersfoot stands the Merlewood Hotel.

This established hotel offers a warm welcome to friends from all over the United Kingdom, who year after year return to enjoy holidays and use the hotel as a base to explore the beauty of the Pembrokeshire countryside.

Facilities include a heated swimming pool, first class service, en suite accommodation, large lounge with bar and a terrace, offering a magnificent panoramic view of the village and golden sands of Saundersfoot beach, ideal for all types of functions such as weddings and parties.

This year, Merlewood Hotel is planning a series of luncheons with guest speakers from the world of sport, with funds raised at these events to be donated to various local charities.

The first of these events will be held on Friday, August 20, with the guest speaker being champion jockey Bob Champion MBE.

Also appearing at the event with Bob Champion will be Graham 'Grumbleweed' Walker, described as a 'very funny man'.

Tickets for each luncheon are available from the hotel. For further information, contact Gareth Richards on 01834 812421.

Bob Champion MBE

Bob was born in 1948 into a hunting family. His father was a huntsman to the Cleveland in Yorkshire, where Bob started riding at an early age, hunting with his sister and father.

At the age of 15 he rode his first point-to-point winner, then went into National Hunt racing with Toby Balding at Weyhill, eventually riding for many top trainers, including Josh Gifford.

Bob's racing career took him to America where he rode several winners. In 1979, he was diagnosed as having cancer and was given six months to live. After several months of chemotherapy, he returned to race riding, coming back with several winners, both in England and America.

In 1981, Bob won the Grand National on Aldaniti, trained by Josh Gifford. He finally retired from racing in 1983, having won some 500 races.

In 1983, he received the MBE and also formed the Bob Champion Cancer Trust, which to date has raised £8.5 million towards cancer research.

Bob has had his life story portrayed in the book 'Champion's Story', which was made into a feature film starring John Hurt.

In August 1996, Bob undertook 'Ride for Life', which was a ride on several horses from Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh to Buckingham Palace, where he was greeted by Her Majesty the Queen. This was to raise a million pounds towards a new research unit at The Royal Marsden Hospital. This sum has now been achieved, and the Institute of Cancer has also donated a further million pounds towards this project. Construction commenced and the Research Unit is now up and running.

Bob retired from training race horses in 1999 and lives with his partner Janette in Newmarket, Suffolk.

In April 2000, Bob commenced a pilot scheme with the Northern Racing College to encourage school leavers to have a career as stable staff and apprentice jockeys, and in May of the same year he had the honour of speaking at Oxford Union.

Graham 'Grumbleweed' Walker

There are comedians and there are funny men. Graham 'Grumbleweed' Walker falls very definitely into the second category.

'That little bald one' from The Grumbleweeds is not only the man of many faces and voices with Britain's premier comedy show group, but more recently in his spare time has branched out on his own to become a highly respected after-dinner speaker, actor and a regular face on many television commercials.

But whatever 'cap' this natural clown is wearing, there is one common denominator - laughter! He is one of the few genuinely funny men in entertainment today, able to reduce his audience into fits of laughter with just a sideways glance or an odd word.

Graham has never stopped performing, be it as a child, or since the formation of The Grumbleweeds, having been ever present with them on stage, television and radio all round the world. And it is from these experiences and those of his childhood that he draws material for his after-dinner speeches.

His enormous flexibility has enabled him not only to 'turn his hand' to after-dinner speaking and acting, but also to excel at them, making him a very sought-after and rare commodity.

Graham is currently performing with The Grumbleweeds in Blackpool and is taking time out to visit Saundersfoot.