The glamour of Manchester will be celebrated at an event on Saturday 3 March – all in support of the iconic charity, Childline.
Sponsored by two Manchester businesses – Code Nation and Rethink Group – the event will be hosted at the city’s Midland Hotel; Darren Proctor will serve as compere, while headline performances come from Manchester Camerata, Happy Mondays singer Rowetta, Manchester Street poet Argh KiD, New Order and Joy Division’s Peter Hook and XS Manchester Radio DJ Clint Boon.
It will chronicle the city’s glamourous reputation, with bespoke artwork of the city set to be unveiled on the night. At the heart of the event however will be a plea for funds for Childline; the charity has a nationwide history of over 30 years, and wants to use this event to call out to more people across the North West to help young people in distress.
Speaking ahead of the event, Childline founder Esther Rantzen said: “We are thrilled to be hosting such a prominent event in Manchester, one which will give us the opportunity to promote our cause and the fabulous work our team is doing in Manchester and across the North West.
“Support from the Manchester community is vital to our existence and to the help we can provide to young people. In 2016/17, more than 295,000 counselling sessions were delivered by the free, confidential service but the Salford centre can only answer 3 out of every 4 calls coming in every 25 seconds – and Manchester is set to connect those missing vital help when they need it most.”
The fundraising target for the night is to beat last year’s impressive total of £210,000 – which makes up part of the £1.18 million raised since the event launched in 2003 for the NSPCC’s Childline service. Rachel Walker, senior development manager for the NSPCC added: “The North West Childline Ball is one of the highlights of the year for us and every penny that is donated will go towards helping us to be there for children in their hour of need.”
Guests on the night will be welcomed by Manchester Gin who are sponsoring the drinks reception – and the company is even creating a bespoke Manchester themed cocktail to be enjoyed upon arrival. In keeping with the glamourous theme, the event will also include a grand and silent auction featuring prizes such as a holiday to Barbados, use of a sought-after Manchester United box and works from talented local artists.
Concluded lead sponsor Andy Lord, CEO of Code Nation and Rethink: “I don’t think I have the words to appropriately describe Childline and the NSPCC; they’re simply incredible causes and I’ve long admired their work from afar. This past year, I’ve grown closer to the NSPCC team and have witnessed first-hand the brilliant achievements and tireless campaigning and fundraising that these committed people do – I felt utterly compelled to support the event through my businesses and can’t wait to see how much the team can raise.”
There are a very limited numbers of spaces left, but to join in the glamour and glitz and beat last year’s target, contact Rachel Walker at Rachel.walker@nspcc.org.uk
Tickets are £150 each and a table of 10 is £1500. If you are unable to attend the event but would like to donate to what is raised on the night then please visit the Ball’s dedicated fundraising page: www.justgiving.com/Northwestchildlineball2018 For more information about the NSPCC’s Childline service, visit www.childline.org.uk
