30th September 2006
Good Neighbours News – Imagine A Charity Event That Raises Over £450,000
The Grant & Anthea Summer Ball - an annual fundraising event hosted by Grant Bovey and Anthea Turner - raised in excess of £450,000 for charity - on a night to remember in Surrey.
Around 500 guests were present at the event, now in its fourth consecutive year staged in the gardens of Grant and Anthea's stunning country home. The money raised will aid two local charities DebRA and CHASE. Throughout the night guests were given the opportunity to bid for a range of exclusive prizes ranging from lunch with Sex in the City star Kim Cattrell to an apartment worth £300,000 generously donated by Imagine Homes.
Imagine Homes once again supported the sensational event, attended by a host of stars from stage and screen who all enjoyed the summer evening in the beautiful surroundings. Guests, including Lulu and Toby Antis, sipped champagne while listening to the classical sounds of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
An array of entertainment was on show, including a duet by ex Blue band member Duncan James and classical singer Keedie. The highlight of the evening was a performance by the cheeky X Factor contestant Chico - whose shirt auctioned for an extraordinary £10,000! Master of ceremonies Bobby Davro kept guests entertained throughout the evening while they indulged in an appetizing meal.
Grant Bovey, CEO of Imagine Homes, commented: "We are delighted to be sponsoring this fantastic occasion. Since the event began four years ago we have raised in excess of £1 million - making a genuine difference to the lives of so many families." The two charities that will benefit from this year's events are CHASE, which supports life-limited children, young people and their families in Surrey. Life-limited children are those who are not expected to reach their 19th birthday. It costs £2.7 million each year to run CHASE and with little or no statutory funding the majority of this must be raised through general donation.
DebRA helps children with the rare and currently incurable skin disorder, EB. The "glue" keeping the skin together present in normal births is missing causing severe blistering either spontaneously or at the slightest friction.
In the UK, specialist NHS treatment facilities for EB at national and regional level are almost non-existent and the 5,000 or so UK families affected by the condition rely almost entirely on DebRA support