Thousands raised at
Mid Summer Ball
Brighton welcomed back in June one
of the biggest charity events held in
Sussex. The Mid Summer Ball returned
to the Hilton Brighton Metropole and
raised £65,700 for its two beneficiaries.
The annual ball raised funds for the
Hilton in the Community Foundation,
helping young people to have a brighter
future, and local charity Rockinghorse
Children’s Charity, the official fundraising
arm of the Royal Alexandra Children’s
Hospital and vital supporter of the Trevor
Mann Baby Unit, based in Brighton.
The Brazilian-themed event, reflecting
the spirit of the 2014 FIFA World Cup,
welcomed back Zoe Ball, who acted
as head judge for the Strictly Come
Dancing-style competition. Zoe, TV
star and presenter of the BBC show’s
spin-off It Takes Two, was joined on the
judging panel by David Hill, CEO of
entertainment group E3, and professional
dancer Marta Scott.
Four celebrities and local personalities
had been in training to learn a Latin-
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inspired dance, joined by their expert
partners. Those brave enough to take
on the challenge in front of nearly
400 guests, were; Richard Skerritt,
Managing Director of Skerritts, Andrew
Austin, Director of Austin Rees, Davina
Wells, Managing Director of Brighton
Racecourse and much-loved children’s
TV personality Sid Sloane.
The competition was won by Richard
Skerritt, who wowed the judges with his
samba, along with professional dance
partner Carola Degener-Pereira, owner
of Brighton Dancing.
Hosted by the team at the hotel, guests
enjoyed a sparkling drinks reception,
four-course dinner with wine and afterdinner entertainment, which included
live music from Back in the Day, a
fundraising auction and the infamous
indoor dodgems.
Speaking after the ball, the Hilton Brighton
Metropole General Manager, Howard
Lewis, said: “The night was a culmination
of a lot of voluntary work and effort by the
ball committee, who came together to
deliver an excellent event. I am so proud of
the whole team, who have helped to raise
money for the Hilton in the Community
Foundation and Rockinghorse Children’s
Charity and I am already looking forward to
planning next year’s event.”
Simon Sheehan, Hilton in the Community
Foundation’s Executive Director, also
expressed his thanks, “We have been
committed to supporting the young
people of Brighton and Hove for a
number of years and are delighted
that our partnership with Rockinghorse
Children’s Charity has gone from
strength to strength. Thanks to the
dedication, voluntary spirit from the team
at Hilton Brighton Metropole and the
tremendous support of the Brighton and
Hove community, we are able to change
the lives of some very vulnerable and
sick children and young people.”
By Cheryl Piper
rockinghorse.org.uk
hilton-foundation.org.uk
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