Big charity bash to be held in Northampton to support children's ward and Hope Centre

A lavish charity ball supporting Hope Centre Northampton as well as Northampton General Hospital's (NGH) children's ward will be held in November.

The event, organised by Jo Griffiths, 45, and Lucy Chaplin, 46, is their third outing in the fundraising events scene, after their previous ball raised more than £10,000 for the Hope Centre and Prostate Cancer UK back in October 2021.

Each time, the two organisers have chosen which charity to support alongside the Hope Centre, which has been supported in every ball so far. All funds raised are then split down the middle and donated to each.

Jo, who joint owns a construction company with her husband, said the pair chose the children's ward this year after thinking about what it would have been like if their own children had been sick.

The organiser said: "We are overwhelmed by all the support that people have shown by buying their tickets early.

"Every year, we have a think about who to support, and we settled on NGH's children's ward because our own kids could have gone there for any reason at any time, so it hit close to home.

"We always make sure to go to the charities we support. We get to know them first and meet the people there. We like to see exactly where our money goes and just how much it helps.

"We thought they were short on funding and could always use the help. It would just be nice to think we've done a bit to help them.

"I have also personally donated food to the Hope Centre in the past and decided this could be an even better way to support what they do."

The ball is expected to host a three course meal with entertainment from a DJ, a band, a raffle and an auction, offering prizes donated by local businesses as well as the organisers' own business contacts.

Prizes in the past have included vouchers like £50 for dinners at a local pub, passes for activities and days out, as well as overnight stays in swanky hotels. Others have included large bouquets of flowers and once even a professional sander.

The organiser added: "We don't ever have a target for these events, just to do even better than our last one, which raised more than £10,000. These balls work really well and can bring in some great money for great causes.

"It's also heartwarming to see the sorts of lovely things that people donated to help us along. We always welcome these as they give people even more incentive to come out and have a great night.

"We're just two local girls from Northampton that want to do something good, especially in this difficult time."

There are limited number of places available for the ball that will be held on November 12 at the Hilton Hotel in Collingtree.

Anyone who is interested in donating prizes for the event can contact Jo via email: [email protected].

For tickets, contact Jo on 07917153084.