Fun and fundraising VIP ladies’ club starts with step back in time
ELITE gentlemen’s clubs images of retired colonels brandy in silence.
But now the last exclusively male domain is under attack.
Dame Emma-Jane Brown, a former international showjumper from Stratford-upon-Avon, is launching the Midlands’ first VIP ladies’ club.
The club kicks off on Thursday, February 16, at Hall’s Croft in Stratford. It is the elegant Jacobean home in which Shakespeare’s daughter Susanna and her husband, the wealthy physician Dr John Hall, once lived.
Dame Emma-Jane, aged 52, will host a banqueting evening for 30 women who will be given a guided tour of the hall and an exclusive insight into Shakespeare’s life and times.
It’s the latest venture from an A-list promoter who has brought an array of stars to these shores for exclusive meet-and-greet events.
Hoping to fill a gap in the market, Dame Emma-Jane is staging a calendar of events taking place at Hall’s Croft, Warwick Castle and The Arden Hotel in Stratford.
The mother of two said: “I am planning some super events that combine entertainment, selfimprovement and good food and wine, all centred around Stratford, that are designed to appeal to mums, divorcees, widows, and businesswomen. The events will be unpretentious and good fun.”
Dame Emma-Jane, voted Female Event Planner of the Year in 2016, added: “The Ladies Night at Hall’s Croft will give my guests the opportunity to soak up the history of Tudor England and savour the legacy that Shakespeare bestowed upon us.
“Hall’s Croft is part of the fabric of Shakespeare’s life in Stratford. I spawn sipping am extremely fortunate to have access to it for my first event. It will also help raise funds for my chosen local charity – the Shakespeare Hospice which does invaluable work in the local community.”
Dame Emma-Jane made headlines in 2015 through her company EJB Events, a bespoke concierge service providing perfect, dream breaks – at a price.
The unique “meet and greet” venture offers fans once-in-a-lifetime, one-to-one meetings with Hollywood A-listers such as Sylvester Stallone, Al Pacino and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Stallone’s visit proved particularly memorable. Clearly weary of his all-action image, Sly, while scribbling autographs, told one devotee: “If I have to make another Rocky movie, I’ll be fighting arthritis.”