The hard work had all been completed just in time. At 6.05pm on the evening of 7^th Oct, the NI Area Sweet Charity Committee dashed off nervously to get ready for the biggest night to date, ‘The 75^TH Annual NI Candy Ball’. They needn’t have been nervous for the evening was destined to go without a hitch!

250 guests were greeted by jugglers, stilt walkers and a jazz band, they sipped on Chambulls and nibbled on Quality Street as coincidently, Quality Street was also celebrating a 75^th Birthday and there was a magnificent set of cakes in honour of us both! Mr Patrick Davis arrived suitably attired in a 75^th Bow Tie and the revelry began.

There was much to celebrate as our Hon. Secretary Mrs Lina Graham and our Hon. Treasurer Mr Lewis Noble were applauded for having served on the committee for more than 90 years between them!

Our evening was smoothly navigated by Mr Graham Walker and our guests were entertained further by the Ulster Operatic Society, they feasted on a fine meal and then clapped enthusiastically to the Royal Tara Dancers. The Grand Draw and the Tombola was a highlight to all who won! Energy was still in abundant supply as the dance floor filled to the sounds of the HOUSEM8’s and continued until the wee small hours, the sign that a great night was had by all was surely evident as we couldn’t get people to go home!

A big thank you to all our Sponsors and to all who helped make our night a fantastic success. We are proud to say that our projected profit is in excess of £24,000 for Sweet Charity.

We are looking forward to next year already!

Grace Bosket

Chairman

NI Area Committee



Palmer and Harvey's very first curry and comedy night went down a storm last Thursday evening as 400 office staff and suppliers joined to raise money for Sweet Charity. 

 Alfie Moore played our host for the evening and kicked off the night regaling us with jokes and snippets about his home town of Scunthorpe before letting the guests loose on the delicious Indian buffet that was tempting everyone on the tables. Once the meal had taken place (think lamb rogan josh, vegetable korma and garlic naans) comdian Seann Walsh (of Mock the Week and 8 out of 10 cats fame) took to the stage and got the audience thoroughly warmed up for the final act.

The prestigious raffle gave an extra edge of excitement to the evening (many waited with baited breath to see if any of the top prizes were theirs) and lots of fantastic prizes were handed out including an iPad donated by Mars/Wrigley, a Nintendo Wii from Ferrero, with Palmer and Harvey donating a luxury trip to Paris prize along with plenty of others, they were not to be sniffed at!

Ventriloquist and comedienne Nina Conti was the final act and she wasn’t alone! Puppets  ‘Monkey’ and ‘Granny’ came out of her travel bag and entertained the crowd and ‘Granny’ even had some audience participation with an obliging (and very brave) gentleman picked from the audience. Nina’s comedy timing and ventriloquist skills ensured the night finished on a high.

A massive THANK YOU to the team at Palmer and Harvey who organised this amazing event and for everyone who supported it by attending, sponsoring or donating raffle prizes. It was a fantastic evening and one surely to be repeated!

On Tuesday 9th August his business was completely destroyed by rioters. All his stock was taken, as well as other equipment, and his freezer damaged. His insurance will cover £25,000 of his loss, but the loss adjuster has estimated the damage to be £90,000 and the insurance company had estimated the claim will take 3 months to settle. Unless he could get immediate help he would be unable to trade nor support his family of 6 children.

Despite publicity in the national press, and a visit from Prince Harry, Sweet Charity was the first organisation to offer him money. A cheque for a new freezer and replacement of stock was with him within days. In addition to this we have persuaded 2 large confectionery manufacturers to restock his shop to help him get up and running as soon as possible. We have also referred him to another charity who has also pledged their support.



Throughout the night tickets were sold for a superb prize raffle which had more than 20 ‘top notch’ prizes which had been donated by attending companies and other suppliers and manufacturers who supported the night. To continue the party theme there was also a tombola stand which was heavily stocked with product and prizes, again supplied from the charities supporting businesses in Scotland.

Our MC Barry Shafar took the event to a close, sometime around 1.30am with his fantastic disco tunes that kept everyone on the dance floor.

It was a fantastic night supported by fantastic people who contributed generously to our Scottish funds- thank you to one and all!

Easton



Before the dancing an auction was held which raised a fantastic £2,500, so thank you to those who took part in it. The Take That tribute band did the fantastic five proud with great renditions of their classics as well as embarking on their recent work too. Their final song ‘Never Forget’ had the whole room singing along and it was a great note to end on! After that it was all about the dance floor. The DJ played well into the early hours and the crowd was happy to oblige.

An enormous Great British thank you to the North West Area Committee for all their hard work and congratulations for putting on such a great night. Thanks also goes to our sponsors whose continued support is so much appreciated. Amid the fun and games last Friday, Sweet Charity was looking towards a fundraising target of £25,000 and whilst we’re still counting up, it looks like this has been reached which is brilliant news. Every penny of it goes towards supporting people in your industry who need support in their lives. Thank you and we hope everyone had a great night!

Sweet Charity Director General Patrick Davis says “with the recent troubles affecting members of our industry it is great that in such a short space of time we have already been able to create an emergency fund, over and above our usual grant programme to help retailers and their employees most affected by the recent riots”.  

Retailers who think they may qualify for support are advised to contact Sweet Charity on 0207 404 5222 or visit www.sweetcharity.net

Our welfare officer visited and did a benefits check to make sure she had claimed everything she was entitled to and then identified what her priority needs were. As a result of this our welfare committee was able to approve help with her arrears, reconnection costs for her telephone and the purchase of a new washing machine.

She has just undergone brain surgery, and will take some time to recover from this. Our welfare officer will keep in touch and provide follow-up support should it be needed.



Events included a series of bingo games led by senior managers in sites across the UK, with additional money secured through the cashmatch initiative.

Louise Ayling, corporate affairs assistant at the Kraft Foods site in Uxbridge, said: “Cadbury has always had strong links with Sweet Charity since it was established in 1918. I am extremely proud of all my colleagues who have helped to raise a fantastic sum of money for a very worthy cause.”

In total, over 600 Kraft Foods employees took part in fundraising activities in aid of Sweet Charity week, including 100 employees from the Uxbridge site.

Patrick Davis, Sweet Charity Director General, said: “We believe in looking after those who have served our industry when they need support. We have a national team of professional, experienced welfare officers who visit our beneficiaries individually throughout the UK and provide advice and emotional support.

“We also rely on an important network of volunteers and our funding is provided wholly by the confectionery industry. I would like to say a big thank you to the employees from Kraft Foods; the money that has been raised will enable us to continue to help those in need.”