An incredible £170,000 has been raised for Saints Foundation's mission to support Southampton at a charity dinner with special guest Stuart Pearce.
Barratt & David Wilson Homes’ (BDW) Southampton Division’s Charity Dinner brought together guests from across the construction industry for a night of fun and fundraising at St Mary’s Stadium on Friday September 29.
Guests gave generously to support the night’s main cause, Saints Foundation, for whom BDW Southampton has raised over half a million pounds since it became a patron several years ago.
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The room heard the story of Frankie, a 17-year-old from Bitterne who has turned his fortunes around with the support of the Saints Switching Play programme.
The charity dinner also supported Vermont School, with a £17,000 donation made to the Southampton primary, which educates children with a wide variety of special education needs.
Hosted by comedian Mike Osman, the night’s special guest was former footballer and football manager Stuart Pearce, who shared a selection of stories from his legendary career which left the audience in stitches.
With fundraising including live and silent auctions, this year’s charity dinner raised £170,000, money that will further Saints Foundation’s goal to make Southampton a city of equal opportunity for everyone. Some of the funds raised will go directly to the Foundation’s employability project Saints Works, which helps those furthest from the job market get into work.
Glen O’Nion, Finance Director at BDW Southampton, said: “The night was hugely successful and we were thrilled to raise such an incredible amount for the Saints Foundation – bringing the total raised over the last two years to £370,000.
“Our mission at BDW is to help improve the communities in which we build and Saints Foundation work with many, many local projects that also significantly improve the lives of others – so it is our pleasure to support them for another year.”
Saints Foundation is the charity of Southampton Football Club. It supports people in need throughout Southampton, providing life-changing opportunities to help our city and its communities thrive.
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