Supporting charities

Yesterday I read an amazing piece about Ian Wace; a hedge fund tycoon who sadly lost his family in a horrific car accident 17 years ago and who is now on The Sunday Times Rich List; being worth a whopping £300 million. He is on the board for Ark, a charity who helps children be it in Eastern Eurpoe, Africa or England. Ark seems to be an amazing charity and last night seemingly they held their annual event where tickets are sold at £10,000 a pop. Steep, but Ark supporters are in a different league. I think what they are doing is amazing, and it has made me look at charities in a new way.

We all have charities that are close to our hearts. Tragedy hits in so many ways and we cannot stop supporting such worthy causes in the recession. A friend of mine has recently raised £11,000 for pancreatic cancer charities and her local hospice. £11,000!! How incredible is that. It just goes to show, tragedy strikes, but people club together to support.

Last night I attended the annual Bag Ladies event for BAAF; the British Association of Adoption and Fostering. It was amazing; the room was energised with women getting together for a fun event but with serious reasoning; there are thousands of children in the UK alone who need our support and help. It is events like these that really help boost profiles and raise awareness. I hope that BoBelle London will support more charitable events. Indeed, we endeavour to do one a year where we give money/sponsor/assist in other ways. I think it is important to do so not just for karma but also for general well-being.

I think Bag Ladies was a huge success - and of course, it was perfect for BoBelle! We donated a bag for their auction and were among names such as Anya Hindmarch, Smythson, Lulu Guiness; perfect for our brand. Hair expertise was being offered by Andrew Barton and Lisa Faulkner (who is lovely!) introduced the event. I chatted to her for a while and what a lovely lady she is:

There were yummy canapes, champagne and banter - a wonderful way to spend the evening. It is only through generous support that such events can take place - they are so difficult to organise and that is why I encourage events such as these. They don't have to be glamorous; simply giving a £2 to your local Big Issue seller helps. If the economic downturn has taught me anything, it's to encourage more enterprise but to also support and help one another.

I hope you have found this post of interest and please do let me know your thoughts.

Best wishes

Claire