Rockinghorse ball is Cool Britannia, all the way

Wednesday 23 November 2011

Rockinghorse Children’s Charity painted the town red, white and blue on Saturday night (19 November) and raised an astounding £63,000 at its Cool Britannia themed ball, which was held at the Hilton Brighton Metropole.

The evening was sponsored by Hove-based company and long standing supporter Skerritts Wealth Management and hosted by the fantastic presenter/journalist Marcella Whittingdale and Juice 107.2’s Guy Lloyd. Over 300 guests enjoyed a fun and frivolous night of fundraising in true British style.

The ball kicked off with a drinks reception, followed by a three-course meal and K-BIS Theatre School returned to present their dance routine to ‘Rule Britannia.’ Guests were also treated to a premiere of Rockinghorse’s new film, which was produced by OpenSpace Films.

During the evening, volunteers flooded the floor with over 1,000 helium balloons for the infamous Rockinghorse balloon raffle game, which involved guests popping their balloons to discover the winning raffle tickets, and raised close to £4,500. 

The auction, led by Guy Lloyd, had some great prizes all of which were kindly donated by a number of local companies, including designer handbags, luxury holidays and exclusive sporting memorabilia. Generous bidders raised over £14,000 between them on the auction alone.

The evening came to an end with performances by live band, The Hotrox, a DJ set by internationally renowned James Wiltshire from Freemasons and all the fun of the fair, including dodgems, a coconut shy and hoopla.

Claire Ross-Baker, Rockinghorse Chief Executive, said: “We’re so grateful to everyone for coming along and supporting the charity and to all the companies and individuals who made the event possible, especially our wonderful sponsors, Skerritts Wealth Management. We’ve had some great feedback and can’t wait to see everyone again next year!”

All money raised on the evening will ensure the charity can continue its work supporting sick and disabled children across Sussex and Surrey.

See photos from the evening on our Facebook page. Don't forget to like us!