Cotswold Fayre raises £16,000 for Kenyan orphanage
By MICHAEL LANE
Cotswold Fayre has raised more than £16,000 for a Kenyan orphanage this month through its summer ball and chairty auction, smashing its £10,000 target.
The Bala Children’s Centre, which the distributor has supported for the last two years, cares for around 470 children. The funds raised will be used to provide food, shelter, clothes, education and pastoral care.
The ball took place at Wokefield Park in Reading and was attended by more than 190 guests drawn from the fine food industry.
Following a gourmet meal and table magic, the guests were entertained by two Michelin Star chef, Martin Blunos, before the night’s charity auction got underway.
The auction raised more than £3,000 with guests bidding for items including a night’s stay for two at any DeVere hotel, a James Martin hamper and signed book, a signed Chelsea football shirt and two African paintings.
Cotswold Fayre MD Paul Hargreaves (pictured) said: “As well as money raised from ticket sales, we received many generous donations and some fantastic items for the auction and the raffle. This, along with the money from sponsorship, helped us to raise a significant amount of money which will make a real difference to the lives of the children who rely on the orphanage’s support.”
