Over 300 guests attended the glamorous event, ranging from clients and local businesses to close friends and family of Smith Eliot Financial Management.
The event was sponsored by a handful of amazing local businesses including Pragnell Jewellers, Rutland Aesthetics, Coe&Coe, NGI, Rutland Water Golf Club and More Production.
The evening featured a range of entertainment including three live performances from Astraea, the famous voice behind the 2019 Lloyds Bank adverts. Guests were welcomed with a champagne reception provided by Pragnell Jewellers, alongside fire dancing and entertainment provided by R&R Productions. There was also a silent auction offering gifts, such as a Singapore Grand Prix experience, designer handbags and European trips. Pragnell Jewellers also generously donated a £3,000 diamond pendant necklace as a special raffle prize.
Overall, the charity gala raised £53,171, which is set to be matched by St. James’s Place Wealth Management.
St. James’s Place was founded in 1991 by Sir Mark Weinberg, Lord Rothschild and the late Mike Wilson CBE and is one of the UK’s leading wealth management organisations. Smith Eliot Financial Management is an Appointed representative of St. James’s Place Wealth Management.
This support from St. James’s Place, along with the generosity of all the guests, means that the event raised over £100,000 for Solving Kids’ Cancer.
The venue for the event was kindly provided by Ladywood Estate, who are specialists in Asian weddings. The venue featured an enchanted garden theme with over £10,000 worth of decor provided by More Production. A three-course dinner preceded the evening’s entertainment, provided by award-winning catering supplier, Salted Orange.
Smith Eliot Financial Management, who are based in Oakham, Rutland, is a leading wealth management specialist providing advice and solutions to clients throughout the Rutland area.
Smith Eliot hosted this gala because the chosen charity, Solving Kids’ Cancer, holds close to their hearts.
Solving Kids’ Cancer supports children and families affected by neuroblastoma, a rare form of paediatric cancer. They provide a range of specialist support services to families affected by neuroblastoma designed to equip them with the knowledge and resources they need to fight the disease. They also fund the ground-breaking neuroblastoma research that is essential to push treatment forward and improve the outcome for children.
Charlotte Smith, Mortgage Advisor at Smith Eliot, headed up the evening along with Lisa Smith, Wealth Management Consultant and Director. The financial management company are a local and family firm with clients’ long-term interests at heart. Stephen Smith, Managing Director, and Craig Potter, Director, also attended the event, alongside the rest of the team who are based at their Oakham office.
Charlotte Smith said: “We were overwhelmed with the generosity of our contributors and guests and we were completely blown away by the venue and the decoration. It was so lovely to see our guests have such a wonderful time and we hope they enjoyed it just as much as we did. We are also so pleased with the enormous amount of money raised for a truly wonderful cause. It made all of the work and organisation from the team more than worth it. Luckily we were provided with shots from Pre Func, which helped to soften the next day’s hangovers as the gin bar was well and truly stocked!”
Mike Saunders, Director of Ladywood Estate, said: “Each year Ladywood Estate hosts one charity event and we are delighted to use estate’s facilities for fundraising money for important causes. Smith Eliot has created an amazing event and with help from suppliers, organisers, generous sponsors and staggering amounts of donated prizes, we all raised a significant amount of money for Solving Kids’ Cancer charity. We are very proud to be part of it.”