What a night! – 20th Anniversary Gala Ball

What a fabulous, star-filled, glamorous evening we all had at the exclusive Claridge’s Hotel in London’s Mayfair to celebrate 20 years of helping children!  We wanted a party – after these terrible months everyone deserves one – and it was the best party we have ever had.   We have booked next year’s Ball already, Saturday 30th July 2022.  Put it in your diary!

I was so delighted to be able to celebrate at Claridge’s Hotel – I have wonderful memories from my teens, working opposite and living down the road in Hanover Square.  Yes – the truffles were as good as I remember!   We were looked after so well by everyone. The Ballroom is beautiful but our guests outshone even that! Thank you Martyn Nail, Executive Head Chef, for our wonderful dinner – a true celebration.  To see so many people having a wonderful time is so very special.

I was touched to be offered handmade chocolates for everyone of our guests by the wonderful Raphia Chocolates.   Do you know them?  https://raphia.co.uk/  Flavours of Morocco.  They are fabulous!

Thinking of fabulous – I was over the moon when Howard Peacock said his fab band Funktonite would play for us.  The Kids for Kids’ Ball just would not be so brilliant without them.   The dance floor was packed every minute they played, and everyone who stayed until the wee small hours was on that floor.  Me too!    It was brilliant. And yes, they are booked for next year’s Ball too!

How to start thanking all our friends who donated the fabulous prizes in our Auctions, Raffle and Locked Box? The Raffle alone raised almost £2,000 – funds that will provide children with milk from 40 goats.  Yes, that is how direct all profits and donations from our Gala Ball will be spent.  Once we have done our sums I will tell you how many families will have milk for their children, and a livelihood to help them in the months to come.  I am so proud of Kids for Kids that we do what we say.   And this year we are need more than ever before.  The families in our 106 villages, over half a million people, are managing better, but conditions in Sudan are worse than you or I can begin to imagine.   Hunger is a dreadful thing.  Seeing a child starving is not something you will ever forget.

But we are making a difference, real and tangible – it is hard to believe that one little boy’s lonely struggle across the desert, with his heavy load of water, should lead to us changing the lives of so many families, lifting them out of abject poverty.  Thank you for your wonderful generosity, in donating the prizes, in buying the raffle tickets, in competing to take home our cuddly goats.   We had a fabulous party – I danced the night away, truly! – but even more wonderful, children will be healthy – because of you.    Thank you.

JOIN US AT OUR GALA BALL!   SEE WHAT FUN WE HAD!

Below there is a taster of the evening.   We were really fortunate to have Billy Tourle as our photographer.   Thank you Billy for donating your time and expertise – I really hoped for atmospheric pictures, and these are fabulous.   If you would like to order photographs please contact lily@kidsforkids.org.uk but the payment needs to go directly to Billy, please, not to Kids for Kids.   You will get a digital file of each picture so that you can print as many as you wish!  It is really generous of Billy.  He is an amazing photographer with a burgeoning career in film making and you can view his website here.  Watch this space!

Join us at our next Events – Fishing Day – Saturday 9th October (link to purchase tickets)

Candlelit Christmas Concert – Thursday 2nd December (link to purchase tickets)