An evening of dance music delivered by some of the UK’s most rated DJs from over the decades came together in Balham at the weekend at a party to raise money for Royal Trinity Hospice.
Internationally known names such as Lottie (formerly BBC Radio One) and Spencer Mac (voted Best DJ at the London club awards) took to the turntables at iconic pub ‘The Bedford’ Balham, bringing good grooves to the enjoyment of the 180 people lucky enough to get a ticket.
It’s the fifth time the fundraiser has been held for the charity, who are based on Clapham Common and have the prestigious reputation of being the UK’s oldest hospice, with HRH the Queen a long-standing patron.
Popular DJ, entertainer and performer Raven Mandella brought glamour and high energy to the enthusiastic crowd, with the evening rounded off by long standing supporter DJ Smiggy.
The event co-hosted and organized by friends Hannah Marshall and Samia Khan was a sell-out, raising around £4000 through ticket sales, raffle and additional donations, thanks to many generously ‘tapping to donate’ throughout the night.
High end raffle prizes which included a case of champagne, a £200 Aesop beauty voucher, and VIP tickets to one of London’s landmark tourist destinations, raised a significant part of the overall amount thanks to the generosity of local businesses getting behind the event gifting a donated prize.
The hospice, known for its outstanding end of life and palliative care supported just under 2,900 patients, carers and family members in central and South West London last year. Whilst the hospice provides all its services for free, it is a charity, which has to find an additional £12M annually on top of the NHS funding it receives which only covers a quarter of its running costs.
Hannah and Samia have both experienced seeing the care, attention and kindness of hospice staff given to many good friends over the years, motivating the return of the 2025 fundraising event.
The lasting impact of care given to these friends at a difficult time left Hannah with a commitment to give back:
“I have had two close friends pass away at the hospice, the first one over twenty years ago. I was amazed then and am amazed now at the care and passion shared by everyone at Royal Trinity Hospice. It is a very special place, and I decided all those years ago that I wanted to support in any way I could.”
Money raised from the event will go towards funding nursing visits to people at home, care on the specialist inpatient unit, therapies, financial support services and patient and family support for bereaved family and friends thanks to activities like councelling, and gardening groups.
Pamela Emerson is the Community and Events Manager for Royal Trinity Hospice and knows how much the event means to the organisers, whilst also citing the hugely positive benefit their fundraising will bring Trinity:
“Hannah and Samia’s event has been hugely successful thanks to the calibre of the DJs they brought to Balham and their strong personal link to the hospice which motivated people to get behind their fundraising. They’ve helped make us known to a whole new following of people in South West London by bringing our name to an iconic London venue on a Saturday night creating something that was fun – people enjoying themselves, with lots of dancing! We at the hospice know how significant this is when we pause to consider the importance of ‘living’ set against the backdrop of what we do here, which is about helping people prepare for end-of-life. A huge thanks to them both for all the money raised which will make a huge difference to a great many people. Thanks also to the support given by event sponsors Killik&Co.”
The event is likely to return for a sixth year in 2026 with plans to ‘make it bigger and better’ ensuring support for the hospice grows in the community.
