Rain did not dampen the atmosphere at the annual garden party held to raise funds for the Passage, as supporters once again turned out in force to enjoy this popular sell-out event.
This annual event was held on July 20 in the beautiful College Garden at Westminster Abbey by kind permission of the Dean and Chapter of Westminster. About 500 guests attended the event and they enjoyed an evening of food, drink and musical entertainment in the unique surroundings of the garden.
As the evening progressed and the weather closed in, the crowd entered into the spirit of the event, opening their umbrellas as they enjoyed strawberries and cream.
The prize raffle raised £2,500 towards the total of nearly £20,000 raised by the event. These valuable funds will support the work of the Passage with homeless people at a time when official statistics show an eight per cent rise in those sleeping on the streets of London.
The charity provides resources to encourage, inspire and challenge homeless people to transform their lives. The Victoria-based organisation offers a wide range of services to help London’s homeless,The main sponsors for the event were Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, NBCUniversal and Tuckerman Chartered Surveyors. There were many other smaller contributions from various companies.
The next fundraising event in aid of the Passage is the Night under the Stars concert at the Southbank’s Royal Festival Hall on November 10. For more details about this event or the work of the Passage visit Passage.org.uk.
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