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02 December 2011
On Saturday 19th November over 200 EFTC supporters gathered in Nottingham for the Foundation’s annual Autumn Dinner, among these was Tottenham Hotspur’s Jermaine Jenas.
The evening was dedicated to the memory of Jonathan Miller, who passed away in July aged 69. A true philanthropist, Jonathan was a dedicated and active supporter of many charities, including EFTC. He made numerous visits to the school, much to the children’s delight. A talented fundraiser, Jonathan also raised an enormous amount for EFTC over the years which enabled us to strengthen and improve our services in Guatemala. Jonathan’s wife Jill and daughter Sophie attended the event as guests of honour and a special memorial video was played which included a message from the children.
2011 saw a new venue for the event, the Crowne Plaza Hotel, a lovely 4* establishment situated in the heart of the city. Guests enjoyed a champagne reception and a four course meal to the sounds of talented local musicians the Swing Lobsters.
Local supporter and up and coming singer Kris Cunningham, 18, treated guests to an acoustic set which really got the crowd going. Guests watched a video update on the Foundation and a special surprise Christmas message from the children at the school.
Popular compere Simon Hood led guests in a bidding war for a remarkable array of prizes. Among the prizes up for grabs were: a 40 minute flight in a fighter jet, a yacht cruise in Scotland, a stunning Epiphone Casino guitar signed by the legendary Paul Weller and a pair of weekend tickets to T in the Park music festival with special access rights.
There was also a Silent Auction and a Raffle which included specially commissioned artwork and signed football memorabilia. Following a brilliant impromptu guitar duet by two supporters, guests danced the night away to popular local band Daylight Robbery who also DJ’d into the early hours.
We were once again amazed by the generosity and warmth shown by everyone towards our children in Guatemala. You helped to raise a staggering total of £13,926! This is more than any previous EFTC Dinner Dance has ever raised, and an incredible feat in light of the current global recession. This is a tremendous boost to our work and equates to just under a quarter of our annual food budget!
Thank you so much to everyone who supported the event, we hope you can join us again for 2012’s Autumn Dinner.
We would like to extend a special thank you to the following people:
Beaverbrooks the Jewellers, Boo Somers, Dawn Yates, David Lloyd and Saks, Daylight Robbery, DF Concerts Ltd., Dino’s, Ebon Benjamin, Fifteen Designs, Frank and Jim Dooley (The Mobility Bureau), Fuzz Guitars, Graham Mackrell, Jamie’s Italian, Kim Sanderson, Kris Cunningham, LivingWell health club, Lush, L’Occitane, Malcolm Richards, Martin Taylor, Paul Weller, Simon Hood, Slades of West Bridgford, Stephen Hunt, Terry Killeavy, The Swing Lobsters, and the White Stuff Foundation
