Park hosts another fantastic Yabba do
ASPECTACULAR Southport fundraising event raised £60,000 to fund the redevelopment of the radiology and CT department at The Christie Hospital in Manchester.
The sixth annual Yabba Dabba Doo was held at Victoria Park and entertainment included a set from the Wack Pack during dinner and a fireworks display from world champions Blitz Fireworks.
The fireworks grand finale was launched by Sharon and George Chantry, who won the bid to start the show.
The evening was far from over once the fireworks had completed, and guests were ushered back into the marquee where there was further entertainment from singer Steve Charles, saxophonist Miranda Rimmer and the bar skills of the Flair & Funk team.
A raffle and an auction, including a signed Ariana Grande guitar and tickets to the Manchester City Tunnel Club, raised a significant sum.
The fundraising was a huge success before Jan took to the stage to ask how many guests would be willing to give an extra £50 toward Christie’s with the chance of winning £500.
Not only did this raise a huge sum in itself, but the winner, Geoff Dixon, donated the £500 back to The Christie fund.
The night was organised and run by Chantelle Drewery of Having a Ball Events, who worked closely with Jan and his partner, Lisa Marriott, for months prior to the scheduled date.
Chantelle said: “We are delighted to have been able to hold the Yabba at Victoria Park this year, and I would really like to thank all of our guests and sponsors for being so generous. She added: “This event couldn’t happen without an army of professionals, so we would of course like to thank D’Vine Catering, Elite Marquees, Carita Services, Icon Events, Victoria Park, Sefton Council, Danny Bee and Hugh Ferris.
“And special thanks to the team at Blitz Fireworks for another fantastic display, these fireworks really are a key ingredient to making our annual event a night to remember. Each year just gets better and better, and we are already excited for next year.”
Jan said: “It’s hard to recognise this as the event that we started out with in 2012 when we had the idea of getting a few people together to raise a bit of cash for a good cause.
“Six years later, the Yabba has taken on a life of its own and we’ve managed to raise more than a ‘little bit of cash’ – in fact, we’ve raised over £250,000 in this short time.”