The charity DEBRA’s Butterfly Ball, held in London on 16 June, was a huge success raising over £60,000. The main draw was the menu, specially created by a trio of Top Chefs: Simon Young, Ashely Palmer-Watts and Tom Kerridge. DEBRA supports individuals and families affected by Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB)-a painful genetic skin blistering condition.
Highlights of the event included speeches from the charismatic James Dunn, who recently featured in the BBC show The Big Life Fix with Simon Reeve. Simon Reeve could not attend the Ball but sent a video link which was broadcast on the night in support of James and DEBRA. James, who has a severe form of EB, then gave an inspiring speech as did Georgia Bath, who lost her daughter to EB and has been a DEBRA fundraiser ever since.
The focus on fine food has become a winning theme for DEBRA, which organises events for gastronomes throughout the year as part of it extensive social and sporting events programme.
Simon Young, Head Chef at The Jumeirah Carlton Tower, where the Butterfly Ball took place, says “Large-scale, high-profile events for which people pay a premium for a ticket demand a menu to match expectations and I am proud to say my chef friends and our team here delivered on the night. We were honoured to cater for such a worthy cause and even more so to give guest of honour James Dunn a tour of the kitchens.”
Simon Young and James Dunn – Jameira Carlton Tower KitchenTom Kerridge, of Masterchef, Food and Drink and Saturday Kitchen fame, added “It was a genuine privilege to prepare the dessert for this event alongside the other dishes prepared by my associates Ashley Palmer-Watts and Simon Young. EB is a life changing disease for those living with the condition and their carers.”
Over £60,000 was raised at the ball for the charity, which will cover the cost of two full-time DEBRA community support workers for a year.
Andrew Colville, Corporate and Events Manager at DEBRA , says “The DEBRA Butterfly Ball was inspirational and an unmitigated success. I would like to thank everybody who helped DEBRA exceed its fundraising target. Such events are crucial for us as a charity because we rely entirely on voluntary support. Given how well the Ball went, we are already planning a bigger and better event for 2018, DEBRA’s 40th anniversary year.”
Donors to the auctions included the Jumeirah Group, The Ritz London, Marco Polo Hotels, Virgin Atlantic, Constance Hotels & Resorts, Latin America travel specialists Last Frontiers and two top artists, Ben Mosley and Lincoln Seligman. Champagne and food for the night were sponsored by Laurent-Perrier and Direct Meats.
Knightsbridge School, which has chosen DEBRA as its Charity of the Year, was involved in a number of ways. Their choir performed at the event and children from the School created colourful butterflies for a Tree of Life which acted as a centrepiece for the Ball and raised funds for DEBRA.
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