An award-winning team of local fundraisers have their sights set on having raised half a million pounds for Solihull’s Marie Curie Hospice, when they host this year’s 21st annual Pink Ball in Birmingham.
The Gala event takes place on Saturday, October 12th, at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole, who have sponsored the reception drinks, and with 650 tickets already sold, a fantastic evening is in store. Since 1998, the group has raised £463,000, and hope that they can raise £36,000 from the night, to complete the magical £500,000.
The team of four ladies who organise the fund-raising events is headed by Julie Hayward, who lost her mother to breast cancer in January 1999. She was so appreciative of the support given to her family by Marie Curie Hospice, she started fund-raising two months before her mother, Lilian Goodfellow, lost her battle with the illness, and hosted the first Pink Ball two days after she died. The group, LGGF – The Lillian Goodfellow Group of Friends – is named in honour of Julie’s mother.
“The first event was a great success, and we raised £2000,” said Julie. “It was an emotional evening, but it was a fitting tribute to my mother, whose life was cruelly cut short at 65, having recently retired after working all her adult life.
“We decided we wanted to make it an annual event, and over two decades it has gone from strength to strength – this year is our 21st anniversary, and it would be amazing if we could raise the £36-thousand we need to take our fund raising to the magical half-a-million.
“We have gained fabulous supporters along the way and many friend’s “ says the chair Julie Hayward. “It would not have been possible to have raised this a mount money without all the help we get from our friends and family who tirelessly support the Pink Ball and any other events we have organised”
To help them achieve the £500k target, LGGF organisers of the Pink Ball are still looking for sponsors. “We’re looking for a big push to help us over the line with every contribution that helps,” said Julie. “It’s an amazing night, with a huge audience to promote local business, along with helping an awesome charity.
“We’ve gained fabulous supporters over the past 21 years, and made many friends, and we would not have been able to have raised the amount money we’ve done so far without all the help we receive from our friends and families, and all those people who have supported our events over the years. We are always looking to build new relationships and partnerships.
“This is so important to me – Marie Curie Hospice Solihull do a fantastic job, it’s where my mother her final days, and they not only look after the patient, but also cater for family and friends, even pets too! Nothing is ever too much trouble.
Marie Curie Hospice Solihull is charity funded, and costs over £11, 000 a day to run. “They carry out such fantastic work, and made a devastating time for me and my family a little easier, knowing my mother was in extremely capable hands, and I will be forever grateful”.
The LGGF team were honoured for their hard work last year, when they were named the Marie Curie Fund-Raising Team of the Year.
For further information, or to offer sponsorship – debra.wyatt@hotmail.co.uk.
