A staggering £122k raised for Clatterbridge Cancer Charity

The Clatterbridge Cancer Charity Black and White Ball saw a staggering £122,347 raised to help transform cancer care and we were there with the Guide Liverpool cameras to bring you all of the action alongside our very own Pete Price.

The glittering event, at The Hillbark Hotel in Wirral, was hosted by radio presenter Pete Price and attended by famous names including the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire and Louise Minchin.

Photographer Mike McCartney was among the guests and saw a picture he took of his brother Paul with band-mate John Lennon as young musicians auctioned on the night.

Meanwhile Liverpool Football Club’s Chief Executive Peter Moore took the bids for a money can’t buy opportunity to be his guest for a match at Anfield, including a tour of the famous ground, and the chance to go pitch side and meet the team.

Clatterbridge Cancer Charity Black and White Ball at Hillbark Hotel Frankby.
Hannah Martin(Centre) with Husband Lee and Mum Christine Dunne

Other fantastic prizes on offer included a £4000 jewellery set donated by Boodles, the chance to have a dress designed and fitted by Phillip Armstrong, a bottle of specially designed Spectre Bollinger champagne from the film of the same name and signed by 007 Daniel Craig, and a make-over by hair stylists to the stars Andrew and Liz Collinge.

Hospitality for a top flight match at Manchester United was very kindly donated by the club for auction, and another lucky bidder will be the proud owner of a piece specially made for them by world acclaimed sculptor Emma Rogers. There was also a week in a French chateau in the auction, tickets for The X Factor live shows and hospitality at Tranmere Rovers.

Leading Liverpool restaurant Panoramic34 gave two successful bidders the unique chance to have their chefs come into their home and cook for ten people.

Clatterbridge Cancer Charity Black and White Ball at Hillbark Hotel Frankby.

Guests enjoyed a Perrier-Jouet Champagne reception before a sumptuous three course meal. There was entertainment from The Three Waiters and the night was rounded off with a disco.

The Clatterbridge Cancer Charity is working to raise £15 million towards the construction of a new specialist hospital in Liverpool and improvements to the Wirral site.

The £122,347 raised will fund a stem cell and bone marrow transplant suite in the new hospital.

One person who understands the need for the unit is patient Hannah Martin who spoke to guests on the night, and was the feature of a film shown after dinner.

Hannah, 33, from Southport, has Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and has had two stem cell transplants, one using her own cells and another with a donation from her sister.

Clatterbridge Cancer Charity Black and White Ball at Hillbark Hotel Frankby.
Liverpool CEO Peter Moore

She said: “This suite is so important because it saves lives. It isn’t a nice thing to go through but to have the best facilities will be a big help to patients like me.”

Katrina Bury, Head of The Clatterbridge Cancer Charity, said: “I would like to thank all our guests and sponsors for ensuring The Black and White Ball was such a fantastic success.

“Our host Pete Price was fabulous and the generous guests who bought raffle tickets, bid for auction prizes or bought a ticket for the tombola should be very proud of themselves for helping The Clatterbridge Centre carry out its important work.

“The money raised on the night will go a long way to transforming cancer care for 2.3m people in Merseyside and Cheshire.

“I would like to thank our sponsors and supporters PCM in partnership with BenQ and Fujitsu, A&B Engineering, The Johnson Foundation, Panoramic 34, Boodles, Perrier-Jouet and ANS. A special mention must also go to our Appeal Board. Their energy and generosity knows no bounds and without them the night would not have been possible.”