Saturday afternoon saw 10 of us arrive at The Hunslet Club armed with decorations and chair covers.
After our first event in 2016 we felt confident that we would be able to get the room ready in record time, I think we even surprised ourselves at just how quickly we had it finished and looking stunning, we really are an awesome team when we it comes to room dressing.
We then all headed home to get glammed up for the evening.
White Rose Photo Booth hire set up their booth ready for everyone to go along and have a bit of fun with all the costumes and silly poses it was asking you to do. There are lots of pictures from the evening. Click on the link below to go to the event page to see all the other pictures.
Our guests began arriving at around 6.15pm and a few butterflies began charging around in our stomachs. We have definitely found out over the last few years that we are very good at appearing calm and in control when inside we are very nervous but excited. We also have learnt that we always manage to pull off any event we plan and Charity Ball 2017 was no exception.
The room looked awesome and everyone commented on how nice everything looked.
Quickly the tables began to fill and the evening began to unfold.
The caterers did an amazing job of getting everyone served and satisfied in a speedy time. The pudding went down very well !!
Whilst people were eating and socialising we had magician Adam Casper going around the tables entertaining the guests. He is such a talented magician and certainly left many people looking very confused and baffled. Thank you for coming along Adam.
Next came the speech to welcome everyone to the evening and was followed by a video telling our story and reason behind the charity as well as remembering & honouring many families angels. It was a beautiful video but also a very emotional one, it really puts the evenings true cause in the front of your mind. There were so many photos that showed their beautiful faces, it really hits you that they are no longer with us.
I am sure there were a few tears shed within the room but that was okay, this charity is a group no one wants to become a member of but once you are in it you become part of Charlies Angel Centre family. This makes it a safe and comfortable place to share feelings and show support.
Last year we gave out 2 awards to Charlies young cousins for their amazing dedication to the charity.
This year has seen the charity grow way beyond our expectations which helped us to honour many more of the people who have supported us either by fundraising for us or by attending events.
The first award of the evening was presented to Lyndon Campbell from Bevan Brittan Solicitors for their amazing support so far this year. Eight of the staff took part in the Leeds 10k and raised over £3000. We were also informed by them last night that they were not just doing the 10k they are going to be fund raising for us for 12 months. What an amazing bunch of people they are, thank you doesn't seem a big enough word but we are truly thankful to them.
Our next award went to Maria Davidson who makes the beautiful memorial gardens we give to families as a way for them to honour and remember their angel. Each garden is unique and they are so beautiful, Thank you so much Maria.
Award 3 went to Pauline from LHA Car & Commercial Ltd. Not only have they been our main sponsor for the evening but they are also making regular donations to us by asking their customers to make a donation to us when they go in for bulb changes instead of paying for them. What a brilliant idea, Thank You so much.
We then had 2 awards that came about through our contact with families. There have been so many families that mentioned two people who had really made a huge difference to how they managed to deal with and get through those immediate days and weeks after the loss of their baby or child.
The award for Outstanding Contribution to Bereavement Support went to Sam Oakes (Nurse Specialist in PostMortem Consent), she will go above and beyond her role and families speak so highly of her. She has also been very helpful to us whenever we have needed help or advice.
The award for Bereavement Support Officer went to Sharon Mobbs who works in the Bereavement Liaison Team based at St James's hospital.Sharon is always there for the families who go in to see her, many are often in a very distressed state. Sharon will make sure that they leave knowing the next steps that need to take place and feel like they are being looked after, she will also check in on the families to make sure they are okay.
Our 2 final awards went to Rhiann & Amy Curtis (Charlies cousins) for their continued energy and enthusiasm in their fundraising efforts. Earlier this year they both raised over £500 by taking part in the Radical Run.
Next came the auction and the raffle. The comedian who was supposed to come along to compere the auction had been unable to attend and I was getting a little nervous thinking I would have to do it. Thankfully one of our friends and guest, Lorraine, agreed to step in. Lorraine was amazing and has definitely missed her true vocation in life.
The auction raised a phenomenal total of £1166.50.
We had our expert raffle ticket seller Gemma on the case and she did another amazing job. The total raised from the raffle was £310.
With all the formalities out the way it was now time to let the music begin. there were some very fascinating dancing going on but everyone looked to be having a wonderful evening.
The total raised from the Ball is a huge £2,926.50
Yet again our supporters have blown us away, this is such a brilliant amount and will allow us to continue to provide the free help and support to the families who come to us. We have been sharing lots of pictures from the night on our facebook site, please go and check them out.
We are all feeling shattered today but are already thinking ahead to how much bigger the evening will be in 2018.
Thank You for all your support for 2017, we hope to see you all again next year.
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