Esplanade & Foresters Hall Charity Gala Dinner raises £30,000 for 3 Island Charities

Saturday night saw Esplanade transform its car showroom into a spectacular event venue where the Esplanade & Foresters Hall Charity Gala Dinner was hosted.

With 120 guests all dressed in black tie the evening was filled with fun, fantastic food, drinks and mostly importantly raised an amazing £30,000 which will be divided equally between Kissy Puppy, UKSA and IW Sports Foundation.

After guests had arrived and had a welcome glass of bubbly, they were ushered to their seats where Esplanade Sales Director, David Weston welcomed everyone. Then the service of a wonderful 3-course meal cooked by Robert Thompson Chef Patron of Foresters Hall (formerly North House) began.

In between courses everyone took the time to listen to presentations from representatives from each of the 3 charities. Firstly, Gemma Blamire spoke about the work Kissy Puppy, The Sophie Rolf Fund does in her daughters’ memory to improve care for other children with cancer on the Island. Next Claire Beasley spoke about the important role the Isle of Wight Sports Foundation plays in supporting local teams and individuals in their sporting pursuits. Finally, Ben Willows Director of UKSA, spoke about how the Year 6 Test the Water Sailing programme which gives all 10-year-old children on the island the chance to try sailing for a day is such an important opportunity for children to have.

The event was extremely well supported by Isle of Wight businesses with many generous donations of raffle prizes and auction lots. The auction was held by world renown auctioneer Nick Bonham and his experience soon whipped the crowd into a bidding frenzy with bids reaching £200 for a bouquet of flowers donated by Bay Tree Florist, £1,200 for a VIP Weekend at Tapnell Farm and £700 for a 9-course tasting menu at Foresters Hall. The final lot was a ‘Meal for 8 cooked in your home by Robert Thompson’, Nick Bonham worked the room and the outcome resulted in a standing ovation when Robert generously agreed to sell this lot to the 2 highest bidders at £6,500 each.  

The evening ended with everyone having fun at the bar, casino, magic mirror and disco.

Esplanade are extremely proud to put this event together each year and believe that it is unique to the Island as 100% of funds raised from ticket sales, auction, raffle, games go to the charities. All costs associated with running the evening are covered by Esplanade, and Robert Thompson/ Foresters Hall generously donate all the wonderful food and their time. This partnership between Esplanade and Robert Thompson has now seen a total of £97,470 raised for Isle of Wight Charities over the last 5 gala events.

Sales Director David Weston said, ‘Working in partnership with Foresters Hall and Robert Thompson we are absolutely delighted to have been able to hold this event in our showroom. Raising money for such worthy Isle of Wight Charities is so important to us and we are grateful we are in the position to be able to create these links to our local community.’

About Esplanade: Esplanade is a premium multi-franchise car dealership and aftersales retailer based in Cowes, Isle of Wight. Representing; Volkswagen, Volvo, Mercedes-Benz, smart and Skoda. https://www.esplanade.co.uk