Last week (Thursday October 13th) London based property companies took part in a battle of the bands fundraising event; Variety Rocks, which raised over £50,000 for Variety’s vital work with children.
Corporates including Landsec, CBRE and Brinkworth Design Ltd performed at London’s Ministry of Sound, alongside lead singer of M People Heather Small. Over 250 guests joined Variety for the inaugural event and the night raised over £50,000 for Variety, which will be used to improve the lives of disabled and disadvantaged children in the UK.
The event offered the opportunity for Variety’s corporate supporters to put together a band of talented employees from all corners of their business to rock the house, claim the best band trophy, and get behind a great charitable cause.
The evening saw performances by Landsec, the largest commercial property development and investment company in the UK. CBRE, the global leader in commercial real estate services and investments and Swing2Soul Collective, representing Brinkworth, a global design company, who were crowned the winners of Variety’s first ‘Battle of the Bands’ music competition.
The winners received a prestigious trophy and secured a full day’s recording session at a recording studio by Tileyard London. The winner was chosen by an esteemed panel of judges including:
Dilly Kitchlew Williamson, Trustee, former Variety Chief Barker and event co-chair
Vince Dunn, world-renowned drummer and leader of the Vince Dunn Orchestra
Suzi Gee, international vocalist and saxophonist
Lohan Presencer, Executive Chairman of the Ministry of Sound
The evening was hosted by talented drag queen, SOPHIE, who also auctioned off the night’s grand prize: a FIAT 500 DolceVita, donated by Northern Commercials and attendees were able to purchase raffle tickets to win prizes by NIKKI & Me and Bamford Mayfair.
The evening was attended by celebrities, including Variety Celebrity Ambassador Vanessa Feltz, who said:
“What a fabulous evening! I feel honoured to have been a part of it. There was an incredible standard of entry and a fabulous atmosphere. It’s exactly what is expected of Variety. I’ve been with Variety for 30 years and there’s no function like a Variety function.”
The evening’s entertainment was rounded off with a stunning performance by singer Raquel Reno and a highly-anticipated performance by Heather Small, the Voice of M People and a Variety Celebrity Ambassador.
Heather performed some of her greatest hits and praised the crowd for their support for Variety, saying, “What have you done today to make you feel proud? You’ve supported Variety. You’ve supported an amazing charity that helps children.”
Since they were founded in 1949 Variety has raised over £200 million and supported more than 800,000 children affected by ill health, disadvantage and disability across the UK with the support of its corporate partners from across the world of business.
Variety provides practical support, including wheelchairs, specialist equipment, adapted accessible transport in the form of their Sunshine Coaches, and memorable experiences to disabled and disadvantaged children and young people living in the UK.
