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Thousands of pounds has been raised towards supporting young people thanks to a gala fundraising evening.
Hundreds of people enjoyed a drinks reception, three-course dinner, entertainment and an auction at the UK Youth gala dinner, held at the prestigious Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane.
The gala, UK Youth’s first since before the Covid pandemic in 2019, was raising money to support the national youth work charity, which “aims to ensure all young to thrive and empowered to contribute at every stage of their lives”.
Welcoming the 200 guests to the event, Ndidi Okezie OBE, UK Youth chief executive officer, said: “The challenges facing our youth are unprecedented. The lingering impact of Covid, a mental health crisis, surging living costs, climate anxiety and increasing inequalities.
“Yet in the face of these challenges, we have witnessed a more than 70 per cent cut in local authority expenditure on youth services just in the last decade. More than 4,000 youth work jobs have vanished. More than 1,000 youth clubs have had to close.
“But I stand before you tonight not to dwell on the despair of this situation, but to ignite in you the promise of hope. That hope lies in the power of youth work. It turns challenges into opportunities, frustration into action and dreams into reality.
“But we cannot do this alone. We need your support to turn this vision into reality. The future of our youth and indeed our society depends on what each and every one of us decides to do to ensure all young people have the support they need to thrive.”
The gala dinner also saw the unveiling of a completed bust of former Formula 1 World Champion Nigel Mansell CBE, UK Youth president, which is planned to be sited in the new experiential learning and sports centre at UK Youth’s Avon Tyrrell Outdoor Centre in the New Forest. The new sports centre was granted planning permission earlier this year.
The artwork, by acclaimed artist Frances Segelman, Lady Petchey, was originally sculpted in just two hours ahead of UK Youth’s exclusive evening with Nigel Mansell at the home of Williams F1 in Wantage, Oxfordshire, earlier this year – where Nigel announced a personal donation of £250,000 to UK Youth.
This year also marks Nigel’s 25th anniversary of his presidency and the motor racing legend was moved to tears when a video of past supporters – as well as Nigel’s friends and family – congratulating him on the landmark was screened at the dinner.
Other attractions at the gala dinner included welcome drinks created by young people in partnership with Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, and the auction, led by celebrity auctioneer Thomas Forrester and featuring luxury goods, celebrity signed items and unique experiences, including a Zoom call with Nigel. Also going under the hammer was a piece of art created on the night by leading live painter Ben Mosley, celebrating Nigel.
There was also as an on-stage interview with actor and writer Ben Bailey Smith, also known as Doc Brown, a former youth worker.
In an impassioned speech about the benefits of youth work, Ben told the sold-out room: “UK Youth shouldn’t exist. The job UK Youth is doing should be provided by our Government and it should have been that way for a long, long time. To not just not invest in young people, but to take money away is the easiest thing for a government. It’s so easy to say to people that teenagers/young people are a problem. We distance ourselves from it. We’re not providing things for them.
“Youth clubs should be subsidised, the same way universities should be and state schools should be. How can you not invest in the future of yourself? This country depends on who is next. Our future depends on who is next. How are they going to solve the problems we’ve created? To not invest in them is criminal.”
About UK Youth
UK Youth is a leading charity with a vision that all young people are equipped to thrive and empowered to contribute at every stage of their lives. With an open network of more than 9,000 youth organisations and nation partners; UK Youth reaches more than four million young people across the UK and is focused on unlocking youth work as the catalyst of change that is needed now more than ever. To find out more, visit ukyouth.org
UK Youth is involved in a range of programmes designed to help young people thrive, such as outdoor learning, physical literacy, social action and employability. For more on UK Youth’s programmes, see ukyouth.org/what-we-do/programmes
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