Gala evening raises £155,000
27 June 2008

Impressionist Rory Bremner, Strictly Come Dancing star Camilla Dallerup and Asthma UK Ambassador Heather Small were among almost 300 guests at Asthma UK's annual Gala Evening at the London's Dorchester Hotel, which was sponsored by GAME.    

President of Asthma UK, The Rt Hon Sir John Major KG, welcomed the guests, who enjoyed a champagne reception followed by a fabulous four-course meal and a comedy routine from Rory that had the room in hysterics.

This was followed by an auction, which saw guests bid for a host of fabulous prizes including a personalised voicemail message by comedian Bill Bailey and Directors' Box tickets for a Premiership Match including the opportunity to meet footballer Paul Scholes.

The star auction prize was a Matisse Lithograph, which went for an impressive £16,000.

Nick Posford, Special Events Manager at Asthma UK, said: ‘The Gala Evening surpassed all our expectations, and the extraordinary generosity of our many guests helped us to raise an amazing £155,500 for people with asthma.

'The money raised from the event will go towards funding life-saving research and providing essential services for more than 5 million people, including over a million children, who suffer from asthma in the UK’.

In the UK one person dies from asthma every seven hours and the equivalent of an entire classroom of children die every year. Events such as the Gala Evening help to raise money and awareness for this serious cause, providing hope that with further research and a better standard of healthcare, millions of lives can be saved.