Bidding for Community Businesses!
Over £14,000 was raised to support Plunkett UK’s work with community-owned businesses at our Charity Auction, held last Thursday (3 October)
We were delighted to welcome 80 guests to Cokethorpe School near Witney, Oxfordshire for the event, which was kindly sponsored by Wise Investment, to celebrate the extraordinary work being done to help rural communities.
Upon arrival, guests were entertained by the magnificent Oxford Gospel Choir and enjoyed excellent canapés and drinks kindly supplied by the school.
The auction was led by the incomparable TV presenter and world-renowned auctioneer, Charlie Ross, celebrated for his work with some of the best-known names in sport, media and entertainment, and famous for appearing on BBC antiques shows! We were certainly in good hands, as Charlie’s humour and expressive nature charmed our guests, encouraging bidding amongst 28 auction lots to support our cause.
The lots included exclusive Formula One Art, a selection of week-long stays at picturesque locations across the UK, tours of breweries and historic churches, and the stunning Cotswold sky experience, as well as a community farm stay. The highlight of the evening was our CEO James Alcock’s famous strawberry jam, which fetched an impressive £120!
Together helping more rural communities
This money raised at the auction will go a long way to support our ambition to help community busineses run and set-up their hubs that are vital for their community. We are proud to represent more than 800 community businesses across the UK, yet rural communities are still facing the loss of vital local services, be that a shop or a pub, which takes away the centre of a community.
Loss of these services leaves communities without much-needed hubs that offer a range of benefits from social interaction, employment opportunities and much more. For many people, their local community business is a lifeline, as expressed by Celia Collett. At her village shop in Brightwell-cum-Stowell, they make a lasting difference to their community by embodying the essence of community care.
Celia said on the night: “We’re here to help those feel lost find their place. However, it is like a jigsaw puzzle – I couldn’t do it alone! The help we recieve from Plunkett UK, and the like-minded individuals involved in the ethos form an unbreakable circle.”
Thank you to Celia who kindly spoke at the beginning of the evening
A Thank you…
Thank you to the event sponsors Wise Investment, and all the companies and individuals who kindly contributed towards decorating the hall and our drinks reception: AV Events, Hamish Stoddart, Co-op Witney, Stroud Brewery, Grape Minds, Benson’s the Juicers, and Oxford Wine Company.
Thank you to individuals and companies who provided lots: GlenWyvis Distillery, Harriet Green and Graham Clarkson, The Tipsy Palace, Creation Theatre Co, Fordhall Farm, Richard Sills, Justin Nolan, Margaret Sills, Hall Personal Training, Maurice Edgington, Sky Wave Gin, Stephen Nicol, The Randolph, Keble College, Blenheim Palace, The Bear Hotel.
Alfonso’s Gelateria, Penhaligon’s, Nicholsons, The Red Arrows – Captain Robbie Lees, Annabel Pope, Webmart, Sparrow Green Ltd, The Swan at Gressenhall, Woodchester Valley Vineyard, Alison Macklin, Stroud Brewery, Formula Art, Daylesford Organic, Alistair Watson and Plunkett Chief Executive James Alcock for his jam!
Our Chief Executive Officer, James Alcock said:
What a fantastic evening! It was a great opportunity to raise awareness of Plunkett’s support for community-owned businesses and the impacts those businesses have on people, place, and planet. It was wonderful to see such a diverse range of attendees, from local Oxfordshire businesses and funders, to community business members and friends. I’m so grateful to Cokethorpe for hosting us and to everyone who donated auction lots and refreshments. A special thanks to our auctioneer and host, Charlie Ross, who has been a great friend to Plunkett over the years. Thanks to our sponsor, Wise Investments, and all the generous bidders, we raised just over £14,000 towards our core community business service, while also generating new supporters and awareness of our work.”
Alexandra Rae, Chief Executive Officer from our sponsors, Wise Investment, said:
We were delighted to welcome everyone to this special evening in support of Plunkett UK. It was a pleasure to have you join us to come together to celebrate and support the extraordinary work being done to help communities across Oxfordshire and beyond. Thank you for being a part of this evening and for your generosity in supporting such an impactful cause.
Every donation no matter big or small helps!
If you are inspired by our mission and how it helps local communities why not support us?
You could take on a fundraising activity, whether that is a cake sale or quiz night. Or you could become a corporate partner of Plunkett, this could be through sponsorship opportunities. Or consider make a regular or one-off donation, every donation we receive helps support our ongoing service to more than 1,300 communities across the UK.
Some photos from the evening! Thank you to photographer Cyrus Mower
