The Benevolent Society Ball 2023

A highlight of the industry’s festive calendar, the annual Benevolent Society Christmas Ball took place on 7th December at Birmingham’s prestigious Grand Hotel. The British Allied Trades Federation were the headline sponsors of the evening which saw exciting entertainment, delicious food, great company, and most importantly significant funds raised for the charity.

Thanks to generous sponsors and supporters of the event, circa £30,000 was raised, this enables The Benevolent Society to continue to provide vital support to individuals who currently work, have previously worked or are embarking on careers within the BATF industries. Chairman, Gay Penfold, commented:

“This year’s Annual Benevolent Society Ball was a fabulous evening with a real party atmosphere. There was an abundance of sequins and smiles! 2023 has seen an increased demand for our help, and we are hugely grateful to all our sponsors and supporters, for individual fundraising efforts, and for voluntary donations from members of the British Allied Trades Federation (BATF). The more we raise the more people we can help - a big thank you to everyone who made the evening such a huge success.”

Following the champagne drinks reception and a chance to network with industry colleagues and peers, the 200 guests were welcomed into the Ballroom by traditional dhol drummers, kicking off the evening with a bang! For the second year running the British Hallmarking Council presented their HALO award at the event, recognising excellence in Hallmarking Awareness and Learning Online, Chair of the British Hallmarking Council (BHC) Noel Hunter presented the award to Harriet Kelsall, founder of Harriet Kelsall Bespoke Jewellery, and Anna Mcloughlin of Anna Mcloughlin Fine Jewellery.

The second and final award of the evening was the National Association of Jewellers (NAJ) Chair’s Award which was presented by NAJ Chairman, Heather Callaway, to Beaverbrooks The Jewellers, for their ongoing commitment and dedicated service to the jewellery industry. A huge congratulations to all three award winners!

Tenor, John Hudson, wowed the room with his incredible voice, providing background music while guests enjoyed their three-course meal. Fundraising activities during the evening included a raffle, tombola and the return of the ever-popular cash prize draw and auction, with lots including Peter Kay tickets donated by the NEC Group, bespoke silver goblets crafted by Birmingham silversmith Andrew Macgowan and exclusive tours of Goldsmiths’ Hall, London and Cutlers’ Hall, Sheffield.

During the evening, Marie Brennan, Senior Key Account Manager of Birmingham Assay Office (BAO) presented a cheque to the Society for £5,502.77 raised by the team at BAO through various events to mark their 250th anniversary. A huge thank you to the team for their incredible fundraising efforts.

The evening finished with some classic disco tunes from 7-piece band, The Beat Collective, and a
chance for guests to show off their best dance moves! A fabulous evening was had by all, we’re
already looking forward to next year!