Despite travel disruptions on the rail network, over 950 guests arrived at the Westminster Park Plaza on Friday 6th December to a warm welcome at the drinks reception in anticipation of an afternoon of top-class entertainment.

Once again, rugby presenter and commentator David Flatman, ‘Flats,’ along with Ellie Costello, Weekend Breakfast presenter and journalist opened up proceedings with a hint of the sporting guests to come.

Edward Naylor and Lyndsey Gallagher, co-chairs of the trustees formally opened the proceedings and paid tribute to two industry stalwarts Des O’Rourke and John Carey who had passed away earlier in the year, prompting a respectful standing ovation from the room. Former CEO Bill Hill was also presented with a commemorative Lighthouse pin and bottle of whiskey in recognition of his service to the charity.

Sarah Bolton, CEO of the Lighthouse Charity, delivered an update on the charitable services delivered, highlighting a record number of families helped, financial support and sites visited.

This year saw MACL net the coveted Peter Capel Cup which is awarded each year in recognition of outstanding achievements from organisations supporting the charity. MACL’s annual fishathon has raised more than £60,000 since its inception four years ago.

Ron ‘Rocket’ Sant, senior site manager, said: “We are incredibly proud to be awarded the Peter Capel Cup and truly cannot think of a better charity to raise money for. Each year we are staggered by the amount of money we raise through the fishathons, but for us, it goes beyond that, it’s an opportunity to raise awareness around wellbeing within the construction industry, helping to support those in need.”

Auctioneer Addison Gelpey took control of the room as he mastered some deft battles of bidding for top live auction lots including holidays, sporting memorabilia, concert tickets and unique sporting experiences.

VIP guests from the sporting arena were then welcomed to the stage and kicking off proceedings was former Liverpool and England International footballer, John Barnes, along with former England rugby centre Mike Tindall and Savannah Marshall, British Professional Boxer and MMA fighter.

John shared his experiences playing with the infamous Gazza and the behind-the-scenes banter of the Italia 90 World Cup.

Next under the spotlight was Mike Tindall with tales of rugby antics and hilarious insights into his introduction to royal family protocols and his ‘baptism of fire’ at the royal dining table. 

Savannah continued to keep the audience in stitches with her confession of “really not liking” one of her opponents and how that helped her to “punch really hard!”

The dynamics between the guests were clear, finding common ground in the challenges of performing at your peak and representing your country at world-class level. Inevitably, that led to talk of John Barne’s infamous ‘World in Motion’ rap and he built up the crowd’s expectations as he shared the context of his star role in the song. The music started and Barnsey delivered a word-perfect rap to the huge delight of the audience who joined in for the finale. 

No one wanted the show to finish, especially as the audience was given live updates on how much was being raised and knew that they were part of a record-breaking fundraising event. 

Sarah Bolton, Lighthouse Charity CEO, expressed her extreme gratitude to everyone that supported the event: “This is our opportunity to reflect on our charity’s achievements throughout the year: the services we’ve delivered and the people we have helped. But most of all it’s to celebrate the successes of our fantastic supporters.

“Whether you are helping us to spread the message of support, organising fundraising, committing to be an annual company supporter or attending one of our events, you are helping us to make a life-changing and lifesaving impact for our construction community.

“I am completely amazed at the amount of money raised, we’ve surpassed all previous fundraising events. Guests were hugely generous with their support of the live and silent auction, raffle entries and donations on the day. We know how tough it is out there at the moment which makes it all the more meaningful. A huge thank you goes out to everyone that supported us, whether it was volunteering behind the scenes, booking tables, sponsoring the event or donating auction items, thank you so much.” 

The event culminated in a rousing rendition of opera favourites from tenor Martin Toal and violinist Rosie Judge, with guests waving napkins and swaying to the music. The festivities continued well into the evening with guests embracing the Christmas spirit and making the most of the networking opportunities.