On 18th March 2017, Cherry Lodge Cancer Care held its Magic of Motown Ball at the Elstree Holiday Inn. This fundraising event had been in the planning for well over a year and the incredibly hard work by Tina and her team certainly paid off.
The very smartly dressed audience added sparkle to the beautifully decorated room, where they were greeted with a welcoming glass of prosecco. People were encouraged to take a ‘flutter’ on the Motown Jukebox whose £10 gold tokens gave a good chance of winning some very smart prizes indeed, ranging from luxurious gifts and bottles of liqueur to restaurant vouchers, plus Wagon Wheel biscuits for those who who were unsuccessful!
The 150 guests, including staff, trustees, supporters and volunteers of the charity, then took their seats at the tables, all splendidly decorated in gold and black and proudly sporting wonderfully old fashioned Motown LPs. Each table had its own particular Motown–themed poster, featuring, for example, The Supremes, The Temptations and not forgetting Gladys Knight and the Pips.
Rose Jackson, herself a member of Cherry Lodge, was the evening’s excellent compère – providing an insight into Cherry Lodge’s work to improve the quality of life of those living with cancer – as well as being a very witty raconteur.
The very enjoyable three-course dinner was followed by the much-awaited auction and Cherry Lodge was very fortunate to have the highly professional services of John Barnett, of Barnett Ross Property Auctioneers (main photo, right and photo 8, below). There were 10 lots on offer and there was great excitement in the hall as the bidding became very serious, ultimately raising well over £4,000.
The highlight of the evening was clearly John Moabi (photos 12 and 13 below), lead vocalist of the West End musical ‘Thriller Live’. His rendition of Michael Jackson songs such as ‘I want you back’ and ‘Rocking Robin’ made everybody get up and dance on every available spot. John’s proficiency as a DJ was was also much appreciated.
Sarah Armitage, vice chair of Cherry Lodge thanked Tina and her team of helpers for organising this outstanding event, with special thanks to Rose Jackson, John Barnett and John Maobi for so generously giving of their time.
AN EVENING TO REMEMBER!
Click on the small images below to see larger, complete photographs.
