Finally. Following three long years of covid and postponements, we finally enjoyed our 2nd Big Ball of Courage on Saturday the 17th September 2022.
We were really pleased to sell out the event so quickly and welcome 200 guests to the village of Barton-Under-Needwood, near the proposed Kids Village site. This year, we wanted to support and celebrate the local area so when The Holland Sports Club offered to host us, we jumped at the opportunity.
In 2019 our theme was ‘Jungle’ inspired by our Lion logo and going forward we wanted to continue to have themes inspired in the same way. So, for 2022 our Big Ball of Courage theme was ‘The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe’- Narnia! We created a magical space in tipis behind and through the wardrobe…
The evening started with guests stepping through our wardrobe entrance (created and donated by Mick Heathcote) and being greeted by a roaring fire, a glitter bar and champagne.
Throughout the evening, guests enjoyed performances from dancers and musicians, a game of ‘Either Or’, a delicious 3-course dinner and speeches from myself and Gary. The stand-out moment of the evening came from 13-year-old Amelia Eldred. Kids Village Ambassador Amelia is a childhood bone cancer survivor with a prosthetic leg who has dreams of being a performer. We were delighted to share her story and offer her a chance to perform for a sizeable audience. Amelia was overcome with emotion but managed to push through and wow the room!
Guests could browse silent auction items on iPads throughout the night and then we welcomed TV Auctioneer Charles Hanson to run a live auction. He was absolutely fantastic and helped us raise a huge amount of money towards our grand total.
The evening finished with the fabulous RPJ band who filled with dancefloor within minutes! Their energy was electric and the room erupted with dancing!
Finally, we were really pleased to reveal that through the silent auction, live auction, games and Lion Raffle we raised £50,000!
I’d like to thank everybody who joined us at the event and also all of our fantastic suppliers- many who donated their time and offered us generous discounts. We couldn’t have done it without you.
If you want to see more pictures, you’ll find them on our Facebook page.
Sam Fletcher-Goodwin
Kids Village co-founder
Suppliers
- Tipis: Sami Tipi https://www.samitipi.co.uk/
- Venue & Bar: Holland Sports Club https://www.hollandsportsclub.co.uk/
- Gin Bar: Staffordshire Gin https://www.staffordshiregin.co.uk/
- Styling: Tara Knott https://taraknott.co.uk/ & The Flower Patch https://www.theflowerpatch.co.uk/
- Food: Saffron https://saffron-caterers.co.uk/
- Photographer: Amy Elizabeth https://www.amyelizabethphoto.uk/
- Auction: Superstars https://www.superstars.co.uk/
- Performers: The Vegas Showgirls https://www.thevegasshowgirls.co.uk/
- Auctioneer: Charles Hanson https://www.charleshanson.com/
- Band: RPJ https://rpjband.co.uk/
- AV: https://www.scorpioneventsolutions.co.uk/
- Toilets: https://kniftons.co.uk/
- Hosts: Mitch Rushton and Lauren Crace