St Catherine’s Gala Raises Thousands For Young People With Additional Needs

The St Catherine’s Gala Dinner and Grand Auction held on Saturday (March 9) raised an amazing £7,500 to support the school’s work with children and young people with speech, language and communication needs.

The event sponsored by Wight Fibre was held at The Lakeside Spa and Hotel in Wootton to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the charity that runs the school.

A total of 90 guests were treated to a talk from Barry Reed on the history of St Catherine’s, while Principal, Sarah Thompson gave guests an insight into the speech, language and communication needs of the school’s students.

A three-course meal was followed by a live grand auction with a range of exciting lots including a 'Money Can’t Buy' tour of the ROFGO motor racing collection, hotel stays, a skydive and a pampering session at Laura Jane Therapy in Ventnor.

The auction was followed by an evening of dancing with DJ Dan James.

St Catherine’s fundraising assistant, Tanya Smith, said:

“We are so pleased by the amount we raised on the night to support the students of St Catherine’s.

"The support for this event was overwhelming from donations and sponsors, along with the guests on the night — without whom this event would not have been possible.

"We are excited for our future events”.