Armed Forces Community Christmas Ball 2022
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December brought our annual Armed Forces Community Christmas Ball around and once again it was a fantastic occasion. 110 members of the community came together for a night of entertainment and dancing.
As was the idea last year the tickets were kept at the low price of £15 and the dress smart casual with the aim being to make the event affordable to all. This couldn’t be achieved without the contributions of others and this year there’s special thanks to Blackpool 6th Form college, the Little Curiosity Shop and Fleetwood Town FC for helping make this happen.
The night began with photos alongside the Grinch with special mention to Rachel Wilkinson for being a great sport and wearing the costume along with Andy Gleave for taking the photos. There were some fantastic and hilarious ones.
Once inside the organiser and our Veterans lead Rick Clement welcomed everyone in and gave a speech about a special woman that the evening dedicated to remembering. Lisa Birtwistle was a Fleetwood Social Prescriber who supported the Veterans and their events along side her friend Wendy. Lisa even attended last years Ball. Tragically Lisa was killed in a car accident early in 2022 and Rick felt it was important to do something for her. “Lisa was an amazing person who is missed by so many people. Her work in the community showed her huge heart and all she did for others. I felt it was the right thing to do to name all the tables in her honour as a mark of respect.” Rick said.
Next it was time for food and as the guests awaited their meal Ian a local magician was doing the rounds around the tables showing off his fantastic talent. Everyone commented how much they enjoyed his tricks.
A menu of Tomato soup, Roast topside of beef and sticky toffee pudding ensured the guests were fed and happy before the Raffle and Name card games were played. One lucky winner went home over £500 richer after winning the Name card game and with plenty of Raffle prizes there were lots of other happy winners too. Prizes included gym memberships, signed footballs, executive match day packages and much more. A huge thank you to everyone who donated a prize and to Tony and Susan Codling for running the games on the night.
Finally, it was our live singer Kay Ahern who got the place rocking and everyone on the dance floor. It was fantastic to see everyone having such a great time and was a perfect end to the evening.
Our last thanks must go to everyone who came and made it such a special night. I’m sure they will tell you they had a fantastic time and look forward to the next one. The catering and bar staff too must be thanked for helping the night run so well. Especially with last minute changes.
A total of £2,515.50 was raised, all of which will be re-invested into the armed forces community and the health and wellbeing activities offered by the Trust.
Happy new year everyone, we look forward to seeing you at next year’s ball!
