The Benevolent Ball, held for the first time at London’s Natural History Museum, raised £50,000 for charity on Thursday 14th March 2019. A total of 430 senior members and UK drinks industry personalities attended the Charity’s annual major fundraiser.

The evening started in the iconic Fossil Way with a Champagne reception in the Salon des Champagnes, sponsored by Laurent-Perrier, Louis Roederer, Moet et Chandon and Taittinger Champagne.

The next stage of the evening took place in the Hintze Hall, where guests were welcomed by a surprise beneficiary of The Benevolent, Joe Fattorini, who bravely shared his story, explaining to guests as to how The Benevolent’s mental health Helpline has assisted him, and how he has benefitted from the counselling sessions, all funded by the charity. Chairman Michael Saunders reiterated his appeal to “spare a drink a month for The Benevolent” with the idea of donating the equivalent of a drink a month to the charity if possible. A highlight of the evening was the entertainment provided by the Master of Ceremonies, Charles Metcalfe.

The Benevolent’s Chief Executive Chris Porter commented: “I am thrilled that our vision to host the Benevolent Ball in a bigger venue to accommodate the greater demand that we knew was there has resulted in such a great evening. I cannot thank all our sponsors and friends in the industry enough who have helped us to achieve this. "I am delighted with the amount that we have raised. Please know that every penny will go towards helping those in our drinks industry community who are suffering financial and emotional hardship at this time. A brilliant night where the Trade really has come together to help its own.”

The Benevolent also extended its “special thanks” to the main sponsors of the evening: Diageo GB, IWSC Group, JF Hillebrand, Matthew Clark, Mayfield Sussex Hop Gin, Pernod Ricard UK, William Grant & Sons.

Copy Credit - The Benevolent Press Release