Last weekend I hosted the Little Stars Ball with all the proceeds going to ChildLine and Cancer Research UK. Conceived and organised by Elaine Neal, a ChildLine worker, because she was inspired after taking a phonecall from a young girl who’s mummy was dying and as a tribute to her friend and her son who had both recently battled with cancer.
When I arrived at Lord’s Golf Club in Essex it was lavish and decorated like a wedding reception. My name place was set next to a familiar one …Esther Rantzen! How very exciting! My job was to welcome guests and control the proceedings such as a grand auction and raffle as well as tell a few jokes. The evening went swimmingly and after some fundraising ‘parlour’ style games, we enjoyed a lovely dinner and I chatted with Esther about her time in the jungle and her That’s Life days. Very nice lady, big X-Factor and Downton Abbey fan! I got a photo of us together for my scrapbook.
The auction was a lot of fun, with X-Factor tickets going for £1000!! The speakers included a very moving speech and video made by Elaine, the organiser, reminding us why we were there. Esther gave a speech and talked passionately about ChildLine which is now 25 years old, and gave everyone a laugh reminiscing about talking dogs and stuffed cats from That’s Life. I had a great time and met some wonderful people and had the pleasure of letting everyone know they had raised almost £15,000 in that one evening! Wow. When I left everyone was merrily dancing to a swing band safe in the knowledge that it was a roaring success. Here’s to another in a year’s time!
Suzy Bennett
