Having a Ball in Leeds
Sat 6th September 2008
Alea – Leeds’ newest and most sumptuous casino, dining and entertaining experience – generously donated the venue for the event, four days before its official opening. We are indebted to them for both their generosity and unstinting support of our efforts in organising and running the event.
We were entertained throughout the evening by the inimitable Shaun Finch and his Streetband who gave us a jazz quartet before dinner, Shaun’s solo virtuosity with the meal and a full-on eight piece band for dancing and high-class sing along afterwards.
The evening was a huge success. We were complimented on the quality and intimacy of the venue, the friendliness of the company and importantly the Respect project itself.
We were lucky enough to have access to Alea’s private cinema for the evening and we were able to show pictures of our first volunteer team in Africa and our various fund raising efforts over the previous year. Guests were pleased to see how the money raised was to be spent and were amazed at the scale of our ambition.
The grand raffle and auction brought most receipts with fabulous prizes generously donated to our charity and carefree bidding and ticket sales helping us all the way.
While the “credit crunch” had an impact on ticket sales and ultimately the amount we raised on the evening, it could not diminish the warmth and happiness abundant in Alea that evening.
Very soon, six of the Leeds team will join colleagues from the Leicester office in South Africa for the second Habitat for Humanity Global Challenge visit. Lets us take some of that warmth and happiness with us.
