What a wonderful night!

To mark 20 years of Magic Breakfast, we held our first ever Gala Fundraising Dinner this week at the Bloomsbury Ballroom in London.

Hosted by long standing supporter of Magic Breakfast, Natalia Ribbe, the evening included speeches, a short film premiere, games, a very important presentation, two auctions, live music as well as good food and excellent company.

Guests were welcomed to the event by Alison Inglis-Jones one of our Trustees, who explained how the charity had started twenty years ago and its growth and impact over the following years.

We were delighted to be able to premiere our new, very moving short film entitled, No Child Too Hungry to Learn, produced for us by Bullion and All3Media which we will be sharing publicly soon.

During dinner the guests were entertained by the brilliant, very interactive musicians, The London Essentials, who got the guests moving and singing. Their rendition of Sweet Caroline went down a storm!

A silent auction ran throughout the evening and guests also enjoyed our version of the game ‘heads or tails’ which we call ‘bagel or bowl’.

Student and children’s author Fiona Zeka spoke of her experience of food insecurity, growing up in Tower Hamlets, and how school breakfasts gave her the fuel for her success. She is now an English undergraduate at Oxford University.

Laura Pearce, Headteacher at Hazelbury Primary in Enfield described the impact of Magic Breakfast at her very large school where every child is offered a stigma free breakfast. She quoted Yusef in Year Two who had said to her that ‘it helps me to concentrate as I am not hungry when I am learning in the morning - it is my brain food!’.

Our Trustee Nicola Noble who is co-headteacher at Surrey Square Primary in South East London, presented our founder Carmel McConnell MBE with a special thank you gift for her tireless work over the last 20 years. Carmel was as inspirational as ever in her thank you speech, encouraging the guests as stakeholders in the futures of so many children to give generously and continue to support Magic Breakfast in its aim that no child should be too hungry to learn.

Thank you to all involved in making the evening such a success.