After all the planning and preparations the Teams 4u concert (October 22nd) ran without a hitch. And what a night it was! Against the beautiful backdrop of Eaton Park over 200 guests arrived no doubt wondering what to expect.
Music from Royal Buckley Town (Big) Band (David Davies) underpinned the evening and kept feet tapping: the audience sang along to Abba and were taken “Breezin’ Down Broadway”. Yale college choir (Tim Jones) brought a variety ranging from the wonderful “Gaelic Blessing” by John Rutter to Duke Ellington’s “It Don’t Mean a Thing”. The choir exceeded all expectations and thrilled the audience with their enthusiasm and skill. Well done Tim with only five rehearsals after the new choir members joined at the beginning of term! Tim also delighted us with his playing at the piano during the buffet (No Tim, you can’t have the Steinway!).
Robbo’s solo spots were characteristically full of humour and great singing. “Can’t take my Eyes off You” (with the band backing) was a real highlight. Later Robbo took over as compere for the evening and brought both humour and thought provoking moments.
Star of the night was the wonderful Lydia Griffiths (pictured). Charming and totally professional, Lydia had the audience spellbound with numbers from Chess (Anthem) and Wicked (Popular) amongst her repertoire. The climax was a thrilling rendition of “One Moment in Time” backed by the band leaving the audience in no doubt that Lydia is a bright star.
A raffle on the night raised £600. Prizes were donated were a Bolton Wanderers shirt signed by the team, a Manchester City Robinho shirt signed by Robinho and a collection of Vodkas from Dave’s stocks. Top prize was a “Govinder Nazram” limited edition print kindly donated by Castle Galleries who are the largest Art retailer in the UK with 30 galleries nationwide including a concession at Harrods. Castle Galleries represented by Jackie Wilson and Michelle Butterworth supported the event without hesitation and the donation of the lovely "Govinder" piece was a fabulous gesture.
Of course, it was not the sole intent of the evening to entertain. This new Teams 4u website was launched by Richard Hollingsworth of Data Pacific Ltd illustrating to the audience the advancement of communication technology and demonstrating the value to the charity of keeping up with it by means of the website. In a similar vein the first showing of the excellent work done by Steve and Tim Hewitt on the new Teams 4u DVD was made.
In characteristic down to earth style Dave told us about two specific cases of where Teams 4u had made a difference. No one was in any doubt about the conviction Dave has to keep Teams 4u engaged with the needs of children and how they could and should help. A clear message from Ian Hedges told how the charity has progressed and detailed the ambitions for the future. Again the conviction was clear and Ian threw out a challenge to everyone to get involved.
Eaton Hall is a wonderful venue and we are grateful to Colin Booth and his staff for their support at the event but above all to their Graces the Duke and Duchess of Westminster for giving their permission to use the facility.
Through the evening everyone was thoroughly entertained, taken on an emotional roller coaster and even fed! Oh, What a Night!
