Manhattan Raise a Magical £9,800!
Billed as a 'magical' evening, this sell-out event certainly didn't disappoint. With an unsettled weather forecast, discussions about garden capacity and a few band changes, last minute concerns quickly dispersed. As the guests arrived with their picnics and settled into their chosen spots in the private Bovingdon Green garden, the sun shone and any doubts quickly blew away. This very successful event has raised in excess of £9,800 for IRHH, which is a truly wonderful amount.
The band ' Manhattan ', led by singer Jennie Morton, performed three sets throughout the evening. The first consisted of popular swing numbers, with a few brave souls getting up for an early dance, whilst others sat back, finished their picnics and enjoyed listening to the wonderful sounds of the band. There was no stopping the revellers when the next set started, with popular song covers getting the crowd up to dance in their droves. Space on the dance area was at a premium, with a packed crowd for the rest of the evening.
During the evening a raffle was held, with prizes including a 3 night stay in a Venice apartment, a Nickelodeon PICME junior 'star' opportunity and 2 tickets to the X-factor semi-final. With such fantastic prizes on offer, the crowd dipped in to their pockets to raise a staggering £2,435 from the raffle alone. The raffle was drawn by the Mayor of Dacorum, Stephen Holmes, who also presented Pauline and David Wright with a small gift to thank them for their hospitality. An additional £30 was raised when the winner of the whisky prize, Rosemary Eustace, generously offered it up for auction.
We would like to thank Pauline and David Wright for generously opening up their garden for the evening and for their time and effort in organising the event, along with Maggie Moore. Thanks also go to Manhattan , especially Jennie, for offering to provide the music and for keeping the appreciative audience on their toes. The tireless effort put in by Maggie and Pauline with ticket sales prove that hard work does pay off and the results of this very successful event will be remembered for a long time to come.
25th August 2009
