Oval Ball Raises £80,000 For Charity
Prominent businessmen Leslie Hughes and Kenn Nelson welcomed 300 attendees to their recent Oval Ball at the Culloden Estate and Spa and raised an amazing £80,000 for three cancer charities: Cancer Fund for Children, Cancer Focus Northern Ireland and NI Pancreatic Cancer (NIPANC).
Taking place on Saturday 28th October, this incredible night of fun, fundraising and entertainment allowed rugby fans to watch the Rugby World Cup final on a giant nine metre HD video wall. It also included a stellar auction featuring luxury prizes, including a unique Bentley Experience donated by main event sponsors Charles Hurst, and a Tudor wristwatch from key supporting partner Lunn’s.
Speaking on this night, event hosts Leslie Hughes and Kenn Nelson said:
“We are simply delighted that what was initially billed as a night in front of the telly, watching rugby turned out to be a cracking charity fundraiser with so many very generous friends and family joining in to raise a super amount of money whilst having a ball.”
The money raised from this event will be shared amongst three prominent cancer charities to help fund their vital services across Northern Ireland.
Speaking on the impact of this donation, CEO of Cancer Fund for Children, Phil Alexander said:
“We at Cancer Fund for Children are completely blown away by the efforts of Leslie and Kenn, everyone who attended on the night and those who supported and helped to make this event possible. Our mission is to help ensure that no child has to face cancer alone, providing vital services to children and families impacted by cancer at home, in hospital and at our therapeutic short break centre, Daisy Lodge. This amazing donation will go such a long way in helping us provide this much needed support to children, young people and families when they need us most.”
Richard Spratt, Chief Executive at Cancer Focus Northern Ireland, thanked the generous individuals who organised and attended the Oval Ball:
“Earlier this year, our charity announced an ambitious new plan to open five Cancer Support Centres across Northern Ireland over the next few years. When we unveiled our plan, we were honest in saying that we can only do this with the generous support of local people and businesses. This £25,000 will go a long way in helping us to continue to support local people and families on their cancer journey as we move forward with our work and will be invested into our complimentary therapeutic services such as counselling and family support. Thank you to everyone who attended the evening and supported such worthy causes.”
Ivan McMinn MBE, Trustee of NIPANC and also Chairperson of Cancer Focus Northern Ireland commented:
“The timing could not be better during Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month #PCAM and our annual NIPANC #TimeMatters campaign raising awareness of the symptoms of the disease and urging people to seek early diagnosis and treatment to be a beneficiary of the Oval Ball at Culloden. The £25,000 donated to NIPANC will be invested into achieving our three core objectives, to raise awareness about pancreatic cancer, invest in research and support individuals and families who face a diagnosis. Thank you for helping us take a stand against this ‘Silent Killer.’”
