23 Oct 2013
On Thursday 21st June, Coutts held a Wine Challenge & Charity Auction at their Strand office which raised £22,000 for our charity. Coutts Products, Services & Marketing began their support when they selected us to be their Charity partner for 2012. The success of last week’s event combined with numerous other funding raising activities so far this year, they have now raised £35,000 of their £50,000 target.
Mark Evans, Head of Coutts Institute, commented: “We are delighted to be supporting London's Air Ambulance and the vital work they do in and around London.The combination of 100 staff, 100 guests, great wine and fantastic fundraising made for a tremendously fun and inspiring evening”.
Former patient, Emma McEachan, who was involved in a serious motorcycle accident only six months ago, was there to share first hand her experience of being treated by London’s Air Ambulance. There were a few teary eyes in the room! Our operations team were also out in force in their highly identifiable orange suits to talk to over 200 guests and answer any burning questions they had about our Charity’s work.
Attendees on the night were divided into teams to face off in the Wine Challenge. Guests attempted to identify various wines from around the world answering multiple choice questions, such as the year of wine and the type of grape. All the wine for the challenge and refreshments for the evening were provided by The Vintner, who also provided the prize for the auction.
There were a variety of activities for guests, including a ‘Tree of Life’, and a Tombola as well as Reverse, Silent & Main Auctions. Exclusive prizes had the guests buzzing with excitement with auction items such as a Spencer Hart Suit, a dining experience with Coutts Executive Chef Peter Fiori, and holiday relaxation packages.
The Breitling Jet Package was however the show-stopper, fetching a whopping £6,000. This fantastic package allowed one lucky bidder to be a passenger on board a L39 Albatros fighter jet, piloted by ex-military display pilots: a ‘once in a life time’ opportunity.
“What a wonderful night,” said Dr Julian Thompson, Executive Director of London’s Air Ambulance, “Coutts have been hugely supportive and we would like to thank everyone who helped make this night a success.”
Event attendees applaud a speech by Emma McEachan, a former patient that attended the evening to endorse the life-saving work of the Charity.
Corporate partners awarding prizes from the silent auction and the reverse auction.
Decadent dinner spread provided by Coutts for all event attendees.
