£2,228 Raised at Auntie's Cookery Academy's First Fundraiser ❤️

What a night! Our first ever Quiz & Musical Bingo fundraiser raised an incredible £2,228 towards equipping the Auntie's Cookery Academy training kitchen.

When we set ourselves a target of £3,000 for our first fundraising event, it felt pretty ambitious.

But on Thursday 20th August, a room full of people came together at The Manor Restaurant in Corby and showed us exactly what can happen when a community gets behind an idea.

There were quiz questions. There was Musical Bingo. There was some very enthusiastic singing. There was great food, brilliant raffle prizes and plenty of laughter.

Most importantly, together we raised £2,227.86 – an incredible £2,228 – in one evening.

What will the £2,228 pay for?

For us, this isn't simply a fundraising total.

We've secured a permanent home for Auntie's Cookery Academy, but now we need to equip it.

That means ovens, hobs, knives, pans, chopping boards, utensils, crockery and all the everyday things you would expect to find in a working kitchen.

Except this won't be an ordinary kitchen.

It will be a place where care-experienced and vulnerable young people can learn to cook. They'll learn how to plan meals, understand nutrition, budget, use ingredients confidently and gain practical skills for independent life.

Every pound raised on Thursday takes us another step closer to opening those doors.

It took a community to make it happen

Our first fundraiser simply wouldn't have been possible without the businesses and individuals who backed us.

A huge thank you to Chris Webb and 55 Group, who sponsored our drinks, and Ben Hollis and Medisec Ltd, our venue sponsor.

Thank you to Paul Thomas and TNT for their incredibly generous donation, and to Caz Deverson for donating the potatoes for the evening's food. And yes, there were a LOT of potatoes! 🥔

Our brilliant MC Emma Kendrick kept the whole evening moving, laughing and singing. We couldn't have asked for anyone better to lead our first event.

Vasiliki Fragkou and Nik Gazis at ITFixio Ltd have given ACA incredible support and got stuck in wherever they were needed. They also donated the fantastic beer and wine hampers for our raffle.

A very special thank you goes to Simon Cox for his unwavering support of Auntie's Cookery Academy. Simon also gave his time generously to help organise the event and make the night happen.

Nick Galway supplied our AV and the brilliant photo booth, which provided plenty of entertainment in its own right! Meanwhile, Richard Liverman donated a beautiful bottle of English Sparkling Rosé for our raffle.

Behind the scenes, Annabelle 'Belle' Lawrence – my right hand – worked incredibly hard to make sure every T was crossed and every I dotted.

And Elizabeth Micklem, our wonderful treasurer and voice of reason, swapped spreadsheets for the bar and spent the evening keeping everyone suitably refreshed!

An incredible raffle

Our raffle was only possible because of some very generous donations from local people and businesses.

A huge thank you to:

• Jude at GymBlok for donating PT sessions.

• Damian Rees – Damo the Bearded Viking for donating an axe-throwing experience.

• Emily at Hair and Beauty Lounge for donating a wash and blow-dry.

• Daniella Murray for an £85 McManus Pub Co. voucher.

• Dean Da Silva at Hilton for a one-night bed and breakfast stay.

• Carl Peach for donating two copies of his poetry book, Second Sight.

Every prize helped us sell more raffle tickets and, therefore, put more money towards the kitchen.

And then there was the venue...

Sometimes things don't quite go according to plan.

We found ourselves needing a new venue at incredibly short notice. Then The Manor Restaurant at Tresham College, part of The Bedford College Group, stepped in.

They donated the space, welcomed us with open arms and gave us a beautiful setting for our first fundraiser.

We couldn't have asked for better hosts, and we are enormously grateful to the team for coming to our rescue.

But the biggest thank you goes to you

Sponsors and prizes can help create an event, but you still need people to turn up.

And you did.

You bought tickets. You brought your teams. You answered questions, bought raffle tickets, donated, ate, drank, laughed and sang along to Musical Bingo.

More importantly, you believed in what we're trying to build.

So, to every single person who joined us: thank you.

£772.14 to go...

We started with a target of £3,000.

After one incredible evening, we've raised £2,227.86.

That means we're now just £772.14 away.

So we're not quite finished yet.

If you couldn't join us on the night but would still like to help us reach our target, you can support Auntie's Cookery Academy through our Support Us page.

Every donation, however big or small, helps us put another piece of equipment into that kitchen.

And every piece of equipment gets us closer to welcoming our first young people through the doors.

£2,228 down. £772.14 to go.

Now, let's build a kitchen. ❤️