BUSINESSES pulled out all the stops at this year’s Zoe’s Place Ball to achieve a record-breaking result for the charity.
A black and white theme, coupled with a touching and inspiring speech from Nathan and Claire Baines – parents of baby Joel who is cared for by Zoe’s Place – helped ensure the fundraising message hit the mark.
The evening raised more than £61,000 to provide a welcome boost to the charity’s coffers this year.
Held at Coventry’s Coombe Abbey Hotel, the event was attended by more than 350 people including Patron Lady Daventry, her husband Lord Daventry, and UB40 founder Brian Travers.
Radio presenter John Dalziel hosted the event while guests were entertained by Letitia George who opened the evening with the same resounding performance which initially impressed judges of hit TV show The Voice.
A night of fundraising followed with a raffle, heads and tails, a silent auction and live auction with the top bid being £3000 for Wasps Corporate Box.
Other prizes included two unique Racing Experiences donated by Ian Williams which between them raised £2000, a British Superbike £1300 along with a holiday for two at MacDonalds Resort Hotel in Portugal which raised a fantastic £1250.
But it was Nathan and Claire who will be remembered for their heart rendering account of their son Joel’s journey which lead them to Zoe’s Place in 2016 casting them a much-needed lifeline and one which has since transformed their lives.
Now a member of the Zoe’s Place Business Group Nathan was delighted at the level of support given on the night.
He said: “As parents of a child at Zoë’s Place, we were genuinely overwhelmed by the number of people who attended the ball and their incredible generosity.
“It’s humbling to think that from the money raised our son will benefit from a better quality of life.”
Zoe’s Place is the Midlands’ only dedicated facility for babies and young children up to the age of five.
The hospice is faced with an ongoing challenge of ensuring it has enough income to provide baseline nursing and ancillary staff, allowing it to open its doors 24/7, 365 days a year.
Peter Jarvis, Zoe’s Place business group chair and managing director of contechs said: “The success of this year’s event has surpassed all others and sets the bar going forward.
“The generosity of all those attended was just incredible.
“Zoe’s Place is an amazing charity and one which provides a vital service to the local community yet is one which is wholly reliant on charitable donations.
“It is a charity which as soon as you step through their door gets under your skin.
“You want to be a part of it and lend a helping hand and I would challenge anyone to feel anything different.”
Muna Chauhan, corporate manager at Zoe’s Place, summarised the challenges the charity faces and the vital role fundraising plays.
She said: “We are currently running at four out of six cots and have a number families who want to use our services.
“But without funding we are unable to offer this.
“Fundraising initiatives such as the Ball are therefore so important to us and play a crucial role in helping us to continue to deliver the level of service on which our families rely so much.
“We are incredibly grateful to the generosity of all those who supported the Ball and we are particularly pleased to welcome Rosie Day as our new ambassador.”
