On Saturday 9th April more than 40 of the Leasing Options family gathered together along with some specially invited guests at the Once Upon a Smile annual Grand Ball.
The black-tie event, held at The Point at Lancashire Cricket Club, saw stars from the world of TV including the cast of Emmerdale and Coronation Street, come together to show their support for the Manchester-based children’s bereavement charity – the charity that we are proud to have supported for the last seven years.
Leasing Options were proud sponsors of the event which saw us have a strong presence throughout the evening. On arrival we provided some stunning BMWs which lined the red carpet. Once inside – VIP guests were welcomed the Leasing Options VIP drinks reception hosted by our team and inside the main event, our branding was seen across each of the huge screens as well as branding throughout the event programme.
Thanks to incredible support from our partners, we were able to donate several amazing prizes which collectively helped raise almost £10,000 for the charity. I’m sure you’ll agree this is a phenomenal amount of money and something we are rightly very proud of as we know how much it will help the charity continue its vital work.
We must give a special shout out and thanks to some of our very generous colleagues who got involved with the fundraising throughout the evening including Ange W, Lukas, Todd, Sal, Dave, Mike (who will now have the pleasure of going on a tour of Emmerdale!) and most importantly our founders CEO Nigel Brain and CFO Karin Butschok who year after year facilitate the support and focus to Once upon a Smile via our COO Mike Thompson.
The charity raised more than £50,000 on the evening – a record breaking amount for their Grand Ball event.
Once the more formal part of the evening was complete the real party started, and we were treated to an incredible line up of entertainment. Kelly Llorenna kickstarted the dancing with a phenomenal rendition of her dance classic ‘Tell It to My Heart’ and was swiftly followed by Boyzlife and 5ive who treated us to song after song of their absolute classics. It was the perfect mix and got all of us up on our feet!
It was a fantastic night and saw many of us gather together to support our chosen charity while enjoying spending time together and partying away until the early hours.
Thank you to everyone who attended - for collectively looking after each other – enjoying each other’s company – and spending quality time with colleagues and partners old and new. The evening was the absolute essence of everything we represent as a family, and it was truly special to be a part of.
Thank you for all of your involvement and we can’t wait to do it again next year!
