Our 2022 Gala Dinner & Charity Auction Reflections

We were delighted to host our fundraising Gala dinner and charity auction on Saturday 25^th of June after two years of postponement due to the pandemic. We returned to The City Rooms, a beautiful venue in the centre of Leicester, and welcomed 140 guests including long-term supporters to local businesses.

Our theme for the night was ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. The Bamboozle team decorated the venue in greens and purples, using leaves and flowers, wreaths of ivy and lots of pompoms! Enter Edem provided a fantastic walkabout performance with the classic characters Titania and Bottom, Oberon and Puck, who entertained guests with circus skills, magic and comedy. The Bamboozle Babes also performed a beautiful medley of songs arranged especially for the night by Bamboozle artist and internationally renowned soprano Amy Whittle.

We also heard two very moving speeches from Bamboozle parents, Tess Rushin and Andrea Farnish. We were delighted to also welcome Poppy, Tess’ daughter, who has been attending Bamboozle’s sessions since the age of 4, (and is now 16!). We’re hugely grateful to Tess, Poppy and Andrea for sharing their Bamboozle journeys with our guests, which conveyed the life-changing impact that our experiences have for the whole family.

Our live auction was another highlight of the evening, where the bidding on an array of fantastic prizes was filled with excitement. Most sort-after prizes included stunning art donated by Leicester artist Paul Wright, an original sketch by Wallace and Gromit creator Nick Park, and a unique singing experience from Amy Whittle. The grand total raised from the evening was an astonishing £16,900.

Thank you so much to our guests, Bamboozle families, and our team of staff and volunteers for an unforgettable evening which goes a long way in helping Bamboozle continue delivering our immersive theatre experiences for learning disabled children and their families.