Black-tie event raises over £78,000 as pledge total tops £2million mark

More than 300 guests gathered at the new Masters Suite at the Belfry Hotel & Resort for the Kids’ Village gala dinner, raising more than £78,000 towards the charity’s capital appeal. The black-tie event brought the spirit of childhood to life by transforming the venue into a magical woodland setting. Guests enjoyed performances from children at JAKS Academy and Scientia Academy with live music from Apollo Gold band. The evening was co-hosted by radio presenter and Kids’ Village trustee Ed James and charity co-founder Sam Fletcher-Goodwin. Comedian Aaron James led the auction. Chief executive Katrina Cooke revealed £2.1million has been pledged so far towards the build project, with another £1million needed to part-open in spring 2027.

Captions:

1 Ed James, Oli Hills, Aaron James
2 Gary Fletcher, Inez Brown
3 Katie Niland
4 Jane and Paul Faulkner
5 Nasir Awan
6 Jamie and Sam Fletcher-Goodwin
7 Jamil Shabir, Mike Hopkins
8 Nathan and Sabrina Dennis