Surprise-packed charity ball raises thousands for breast cancer fund
A dazzling evening of entertainment and surprises greeted guests at a glamorous charity ball which helped to raise £10,000 for Breast Cancer Care.
Nicky Keller, Director of Education Resourcing, organised the event as a summer fundraiser to coincide with the first anniversary of her wedding to Colin Johnson – in itself, an extraordinary occasion that guests were keen to reprise!
The charity ball, held on August 29th, 2010 at the Forest Pines Hotel, Broughton, near Scunthorpe, began with a red-carpet champagne welcome for guests who were snapped by paparazzi as they arrived … and went on to feature celebrity lookalikes, tribute bands, a raffle, fine dining and much, much more.
Breast Cancer Care has been a charity with personal meaning for Nicky since her mum was diagnosed with the illness two years ago. Before their wedding, Nicky and Colin asked guests not to buy gifts but to donate to Breast Cancer Care instead, a gesture which raised £2,500.
The spectacular wedding celebrations created many happy memories for guests, prompting Nicky to organise a similarly lavish yet fun occasion for this year’s charity ball.
Nicky takes up the story: “Our wedding was different and had a lot of surprises – our guests just thought it was great so we decided to have a first anniversary and charity ball combined.
“Tickets were just £20 each and we sold 270 in three months – eventually we had to keep a waiting list.”
The cast list for the epic event included “doubles” of celebrities David Beckham, Lily Savage, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, and Joanna Lumley in her Absolutely Fabulous role; surprise singing waiters from London; tribute acts recreating the sounds of Michael Bublé, Abba and The Beatles; and a talented 13-year-old singer who sang Colour Of The Wind.
Breast Cancer UK’s Yvonne and Barbara gave an interesting and enlightening talk, and there was also a speech from Colin. Among the other highlights of the evening were an auction, a raffle, a sweet stand, and a photographer from Lincolnshire Today who snapped guests and then printed the pictures for them.
Celebrity chef Nigel Brown auctioned a day in his kitchen at The Ropewalk in Barton, and performed a cookery demonstration with audience participation. Meanwhile, a caricaturist was on hand to capture the guests in their finery and give them a personalised souvenir of the occasion – and a fun conversation piece!
Nicky said: “We certainly crammed a lot of entertainment into the evening, and gave guests plenty to talk about and remember for a long time to come. Underpinning all the laughter and fun was a serious and poignant message – and by spending those enjoyable hours in each other’s company we managed to raise thousands of pounds for a very worthwhile and important cause.
“Many thanks to everyone who came along and helped to make the ball such a wonderful occasion.”
