Celebrity News

Shane Richie makes 'Glitzy Night Out' fundraiser for Noah's Ark Children's Hospice a huge success

Barnet, London, Tuesday 20 September 2011: Actor and Noah's Ark Ambassador, Shane Richie helped to make 'Glitzy Night Out' a fantastic evening by hosting a live auction which raised over £11,000 for the charity. Over 190 guests attended the event last Friday at OA Sport, Woollams Playing Fields, St Albans, Hertfordshire.

Between lively music sets donated by band The Shakers, magician John Bulleid and a huge vodka luge, guests were urged to dig deep for raffle tickets and bid in a live auction for unique prizes donated by generous businesses including Brocket Hall Golf Club, Mulberry, The Grove Hotel, ITV, Jo Malone and Proud Cabaret as well as items donated by celebrities including Shane Richie, Matt Lucas, Tamzin Outhwaite and Miranda Hart.

"We are so thrilled that Glitzy Night Out was such a success, and raising £11k for Noah's Ark Children's Hospice exceeded all expectations! Many thanks to all those who supported the night, their contribution made the evening a night to remember" said Sarah Green, GNO Organising team member.

The money raised for the hospice will be used to support the community services that provide valuable practical and emotional assistance to life-limited and life-threatened children, their siblings and families living in the communities of Barnet, Enfield, Haringey, Camden and Islington.

In a recent poll by Workplace Giving UK, when asked "are you more likely to give to a charity with celebrity endorsement", 62% of people answered YES.

Celebrities play an important part in raising public and press awareness for charities. By helping to get the message across about the services Noah's Ark offers, they will undoubtedly help to raise the funds we need in the process. Smaller charities are now competing with national charities for celebrity support and, as a young, forward thinking charity, Noah's Ark is working with Celebrity Liaison Manager Amy Martin to build on celebrity support for the charity; and the hard work is beginning to pay off!

It all began when Dame Judi Dench and her daughter Finty Williams agreed to front our legacy campaign - their faces and supportive quotes now appear on our literature. They were keen to support us as they believe "that leaving a legacy to help Noah's Ark Children's Hospice continue their work with life-limited children and their families, is one of the most valuable gifts you can give".

We have also been working on building an Ambassador base of high profile, committed supporters. We are delighted to announce that Barnet girl Elaine Paige has recently accepted an Ambassador role, along with Blue Peter presenter Barney Harwood and CBeebies presenter Andy Day. All are committed helping us raise both funds and profile for our work. Watch this space for news on the exciting events and campaigns our new Ambassadors will be involved in!

Celebrity support also gives a real boost to the families we work with. Barney, and Andy are regulars at our events and we have also had appearances from Cbeebies performer 'Mister Maker' and a host of Got to Dance and Britain's Got Talent stars, including Stavros Flatley!

Our latest foodie fundraiser, 'Eat2Give', has also received fantastic celebrity support. Fronted by Eastenders' Shane Richie, we have had recipes donated from Matt Lucas, Cbeebies presenter Katy Ashworth, Elaine Paige, Andy Day, Barney Harwood, Lorraine Pascale and Annabel Kamel. We're hoping people will download the recipes and a fundraising pack from our website and host their own fundraiser, from bake-a-thons, to cake stalls and dinner parties.

We are always interested to talk to celebrities who may be willing to support us, so if you know anyone who can help, please contact Amy Martin on 020 8449 8877 or by emailing amartin@noahsarkhospice.org.uk.