NORTH-east children’s charity Charlie House has confirmed the gold sponsors for its annual Big Build Ball. Premier Oil, Gordon & Watson funeral directors – part of Dignity Funerals Ltd and Worley are all on board to support the event, which takes place on Friday at P&J Live in Aberdeen.
The annual event, which is now in its fifth year, will welcome a sold-out crowd of almost 500 people for an enjoyable night of food, drink, entertainment and most importantly fundraising.
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UK independent exploration and production company Premier Oil has chosen to sponsor the ball alongside supporting the charities activities this year. Paul Williams from Premier Oil said “Charlie House is already providing fantastic support to families in the North East of Scotland. However, the region needs a purpose-built centre to take this support to a different level and we are very pleased to help sponsor this endeavour.”
Gordon & Watson funeral directors, part of Dignity Funerals Ltd is one of the largest providers of funeral services in the UK with over 800 funeral homes and 46 crematoria across the country. Annette MacDonald, Business Manager (Aberdeen & North Scotland) said, “We have known about the amazing work Charlie House do for a while now and have tried to support them in little ways. However, this year we took on a new colleague who has had personal experience from the team at Charlie House, so we wanted to show our appreciation by offering to be one of the Gold Sponsors for the Big Build Ball. Once completed, it is reassuring to know that the children and families who require support will have a facility on their doorstep and not have to travel.
Worley is a leading provider of professional project and asset services in the energy, chemicals and resources sectors and has also chosen to support Charlie House through Gold sponsorship of the event.
Charlie House is a charity which support babies, children and young people with complex disabilities and life-limiting conditions, and their families, across the North-east. All profits made from this year’s Big Build Ball will go to the charity’s Big Build Appeal to build a specialist support centre in Aberdeen.
The centre, which will be the first of its kind in the North-east of Scotland, will be set in 4 acres of ground at Woodend Hospital and will include 8 bedrooms with additional family accommodation. The state-of-the-art building will feature a sensory room, library, spa pool, craft room, teen den, soft play area, therapy room, star room for end-of-life care and bereavement, outdoor play area and sensory gardens, as well as adaptable office and meeting space for the Charlie House team and medical staff.
Susan Crighton, Director of Fundraising at Charlie House, said, “We are thrilled to announce Premier Oil, Gordon & Watson funeral directors – part of Dignity Funerals Ltd and Worley as our gold sponsors for this year’s Big Build Ball. Their kind support will allow us to create a truly special night for all our guests to enjoy and help maximise the funds raised to support the work of Charlie House.
“All profits from the ball will support our £8million Big Build Appeal to build a specialist support centre right here in Aberdeen, to provide local support to North-east families.”
In the North-east alone there are more than 1,600 babies, children and young people with complex disabilities and life-limiting conditions. Since the charity began in 2011 Charlie House has been committed to supporting these babies, children and young people and their families.
The charity’s current services include activity clubs, siblings’ clubs, support from the Charlie House Children’s Community Nurse, one-to-one emotional and practical support from the Children and Family Support Manager, and a fully accessible annual adventure trip to Kielder Forest Park.
