A BALL to mark the 10th birthday of Wirral-based Neo Community has raised £10,000 for the charity.

The food and community charity, which was founded in 2013, became a registered charity in 2019 and offers social supermarkets, a community café, kids and youth clubs, holiday activities, family supper clubs and activities for older residents, as well as training, wellbeing, and a women’s group.

The inaugural celebration took place at New Brighton Rugby Club, with entertainment by Merseyside's Pauline Daniels, El Blanco aka Larry White and music from Wirral-based singer, Kriss James.

Ema Wilkes, Neo Community CEO, said: “Our inaugural ball was a huge success, and we had a fabulous night celebrating ten years of supporting our communities and helping them to grow and thrive.

“As well as the £10,000 raised directly during the evening, we also added two new members to our Neo 50 Partnership and generated further pledges of support totalling £30,000. While some of our functions and services are grant-funded, we rely on the generosity of individuals and businesses who support our mission to allow us to continue to meet the growing needs of our communities, so we would like to thank everyone who bought a ticket and donated from the bottom of our hearts.

“Every penny that we raise goes back into our communities and supports our aim to ensure that no-one is left behind.”

The event’s 180 attendees enjoyed a three-course meal provided by Alex Lauro from West Kirby Sailing Club and participated in auctions and raffles to raise funds for Neo Community.

The evening concluded with a surprise performance from Gillie Leroy Jones, who has performed with the Drifters and Ben E King.