Friday 6th December at the Westminster Park Plaza and despite travel disruptions on the rail network , over 950 guests arrived to a warm welcome at the drinks reception in anticipation of an afternoon of top class entertainment .

Once again , rugby presenter and commentator David Flatman , ‘ Flats ,’ along with Ellie Costello , Weekend Breakfast presenter and journalist opened up proceedings with a hint of the sporting guests to come .

Edward Naylor and Lyndsey Gallagher , Co-Chairs of the Trustees formally opened the proceedings and paid tribute to two industry stalwarts Des O ’ Rourke and John Carey who had passed away earlier in the year , prompting a respectful standing ovation from the room . Former CEO Bill Hill was also presented with a commemorative Lighthouse pin and bottle of whiskey in recognition of his service to the charity .

Sarah Bolton , CEO of the Lighthouse Charity delivered an update on the charitable services delivered , highlighting a record number of families helped , financial support and sites visited .

This year saw MACL net the coveted Peter Capel Cup which is awarded each year in recognition of outstanding achievements from organisations supporting the charity . MACL ’ s annual fishathon has raised more than £ 60,000 since its inception four years ago . Ron “ Rocket ” Sant , Senior Site Manager said , “ We are incredibly proud to be awarded the Peter Capel Cup and truly cannot think of a better charity to raise money for . Each year we are staggered by the amount of money we raise through the fishathons , but for us , it goes beyond that , it ’ s an opportunity to raise awareness around wellbeing within the construction industry , helping to support those in need .”

Auctioneer Addison Gelpey took control of the room as he mastered some deft battles of bidding for top live

auction lots including holidays , sporting memorabilia , concert tickets and unique sporting experiences .

VIP guests from the sporting arena were then welcomed to the stage and kicking off proceedings was former Liverpool and England International footballer , John Barnes , along with former England rugby centre Mike Tindall and Savannah Marshall , British Professional Boxer and MMA fighter .

John shared his experiences playing with the infamous Gazza and the behind the scenes banter of the Italia 90 World Cup .

Next under the spotlight was Mike Tindall with tales of rugby antics and hilarious insights into his introduction to royal family protocols and his ‘ baptism of fire ’ at the royal dining table .

Savannah continued to keep the audience in stitches with her confession of

“ really not liking ” one of her opponents and how that helped her to “ punch really hard !”

The dynamics between the guests was clear , finding common ground in the challenges of performing at your peak and representing your country at world class level . Inevitably , that led to talk of John Barne ’ s infamous ‘ World in Motion ’ rap and he built up the crowd ’ s expectations as he shared the context of his star role on the song . The music started and Barnsey delivered a word perfect rap to the huge delight of the audience who joined in for the finale .

No one wanted the show to finish , especially as the audience were given live updates on how much was being raised and knew that they part of a record breaking fundraising event .

Sarah Bolton , Lighthouse Charity CEO expressed her extreme gratitude

to everyone that supported the event , “ This is our opportunity to reflect on our charity ’ s achievements throughout the year : the services we ’ ve delivered and the people we have helped . But most of all it ’ s to celebrate the successes of our fantastic supporters .

“ Whether you are helping us to spread the message of support , organising fundraising , committing to be an annual company supporter or attending one of our events , you are helping us to make a life changing and lifesaving impact for our construction community .

“ I am completely amazed at the amount of money raised , we ’ ve surpassing all previous fundraising events . Guests were hugely generous with their support of the live and silent auction , raffle entries and donations on the day . We know how tough it is out there at the moment which makes it all the more meaningful . A huge thank you goes out to everyone that supported us , whether it was volunteering behind the scenes , booking tables , sponsoring the event or donating auction items , thank you so much .”

The event culminated in a rousing rendition of opera favourites from tenor Martin Toal and violinist Rosie Judge , with guests waving napkins and swaying to the music . The festivities continued well into the evening with guests embracing the Christmas spirit and making the most of the networking opportunities .

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