Arun District Council Chairman, Cllr Andy Cooper, invited guests to dress up in style for his Hollywood Glamour Ball at the Hilton Avisford Park Hotel on Saturday 19 March.
The evening was a great success and guests raised £2850 for his chosen charity, Enable Me. The money raised during the evening will be added to funds already raised during Cllr Cooper’s year as Chairman and presented to Enable Me in the near future.
The evening was well attended with guests including Cllr Peter Reed, Chairman of Mid-Sussex District Council, Cllr James Stewart, Mayor of Arundel, Arun District Councillors together with Chief Executive Nigel Lynn, supporters of Enable Me and representatives from ISS Landscaping, Russell New Accountants, Mears Group PLC, local businesses, and other organisations.
A champagne reception, sponsored by Great Ballard School set the tone for the evening and gave Mr Chris Jay, Chairman and Chief Executive of Enable me, the opportunity to speak about the work Enable Me do. Guests were also given the opportunity hear Inside (I’m Walking On Clouds) a song celebrating the qualities, strengths and aspirations of those living with the challenges of disabilities.
Entertainment on the evening was provided by Sally Jane Hurst and the Lucky Vamps Jazz Band and also by The Debonaires. The auction was a great success and included an original painting by Hotham Park Artist in Residence, Rita Herbert. Examples of Rita’s work can be viewed on www.ritaherbert.co.uk.
Auctioneer for the night, Cllr Graham Tyler got bids flying for items such as a VIP tour of the Roll-Royce Manufacturing centre, a weekend at the Wave Hotel Butlins, gift vouchers donated by L Guess Jewellers and a stunning quilt made by Carrie O’Connor from Arun’s Democratic Services team and her sister, Kathy Fackrell. This item was in great demand and ended up as an auction prize after Cllr Cooper drew his own name from the hundreds raffle tickets sold for the quilt! Many other auction and raffle items were donated by local businesses and all were gratefully received.
Cllr Andy Cooper said “I want to say a huge thank you to all my guests for attending on Saturday and for their generosity and support. I would also like to thank those who were unable to attend but made donations and those who provided raffle prizes including Butlins, the Hilton Avisford Park Hotel, L. Guess Jewellers and the Glorious Spa Company and Serenity Hair, both in Rustington.
I am thrilled that, thanks to the generosity of my guests, we were able to raise £2850 for my chosen charity. Enable Me is a not-for-profit organisation working in the community to raise disability awareness. They provide high quality services designed and delivered by disabled
Contact Claire Pritchard on 01903 737613 / claire.pritchard@arun.gov.uk / public.relations@arun.gov.uk
people, including disability awareness workshops for schools, colleges and businesses; short breaks clubs for disabled young people and adults; and volunteering opportunities for disabled people to learn new skills. It has been a pleasure to support such a worthwhile local charity.”
Chief Executive at Arun District Council, Nigel Lynn said: “This was a very enjoyable evening which afforded the opportunity for representatives across the Arun community to gather at a social event, and to raise a great amount of money for Enable Me, as well as increasing awareness of their work.”
Images by by Haiku Photography
