The construction industry luncheon society based in North London
Founded in 1984
OPAL BALL 2018
On Saturday 13th October the POETS held their Opal Ball at the Mecure Noke Hotel in St Albans. The aim was to raise money for The North London Hospice, one of our chosen charities.
140 members and guests attended what turned out to be a wonderful evening. As well as the dining and dancing there was also live entertainment from Jazz with Maz.
There was a prize draw, a raffle and a charity auction with some amazing prizes and lots donated by the POETS’ members and their supporters.
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At the heart of the evening’s proceedings a trilogy of lovely ladies gave some impassioned speeches on behalf of the hospice.
First up was Rita Sagar (top picture on the right) who outlined the work of the North London Hospice. Providing palliative and end of life care for its patients and their families, they are very much reliant on support from the local community. It takes £7.3 million to fund their facilities for one year. 60% of this figure comes from donations and fundraising. An army of 750 volunteers support the hospice in its day to day activities..
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Next up was An-Marie Wilson (bottom picture on the right) who spoke with great passion about the support she has received from the Health & Wellbeing Centre over the years. She also talked about the friends that she had made along the way. The hospice she said “allows you to remember the person you were before you became the person with an incurable condition”.
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This was followed by a no less emotional address from Nicola Miller who has seen the hospice from both sides. She spoke movingly about the Bereavement Service who supported the family when her mother was diagnosed and died shortly afterwards from bowel cancer. Nicola’s experience of the love and care she received at first led her to become a volunteer. Later she joined the hospice’s bereavement team to help others deal with the loss of a loved one.
The amount of time and effort put in by Chris Gardner and all of those that worked tirelessly to put on a spectacular evening were acknowledged in a speech from POETS’ founder member Vince O’Shea.
All in all it was a night that all POETS’ and supporters could be proud of with the final fundraising total coming in at £11,600.
If you would like to learn more about the North London Hospice and their work please visit:
