“Tonight, we are here for a cause that goes beyond the glamour of this Midsummer Party. We are here to provide hope and to illuminate the path to a brighter future for less privileged children in our Valley. Tonight, we unite under the banner of education, recognizing it as the most potent force that there is to transform lives…”
The Midsummer Party, in aid of the Bridge House Bursary Foundation, exceeded our wildest expectations and a huge debt of gratitude is owed to you all for your generosity.
It was a stunning balmy evening as guests arrived to be greeted with glasses of Krone Cap Classique and delicious cocktails from the SugarBird Gin Bar. Glorious music was the accompaniment to happy chatter as Carol Thorns, a Bridge House parent, played with her customary elegance as the “That Girl in the Bubble” against the background of the trees and rose gardens along Founders Walk. Further along the walkway additional bars were set up offering cocktails by Andiamo and cold beers from Woodstock Breweries.
As guests were summoned to dinner by the ringing of the Founders Bell, they were greeted by the sight of an extensive Bedouin tent decorated with hundreds of tiny glittering lights and tables laden with artfully arranged olive branches and herbs which created the most wonderful scent. As everyone mingled outside the tent before being seated, they were treated to the wonderful sounds of Greg Hinds and his band “Same Difference” featuring the remarkably talented young Grade 5 pupil Graigan Mentoor on saxophone. A delicious dinner of shared harvest platters (with contributions from MotherDough bakery and Anura cheese) was followed by sublime Boschendal Farm beef fillet and then a fabulous selection of mini desserts.
Scattered through the evening were lots of additional surprises as lucky winners of randomly placed secret envelopes were asked up to collect their prizes of bottles of L’Ormarins MCC and guests were offered tequila shots to toast the evening.
Ephraim Gordon and Claude Van Wyk spoke passionately and movingly about the impact that being past recipients of BH Bursaries had on their lives and revealed that, as well as a brilliant education, it had given them access to networks, connections, mentoring and so much more, all of which had changed the trajectory of their lives.
The auction was brilliantly and humorously conducted by Nick Sadleir, long term supporter of the school. Bidding was fast and furious, and all the auction lots far surpassed their estimated values.
Finally, we were entertained by the incredible Hot Water band and a large group of guests danced under the stars until the early hours of the morning.
It was the most incredible, happy evening filled with wonderful music, good food and lots of laughter. It was an impactful celebration of everything achieved to date by the Bursary Foundation as well as seeing the start of many new conversations about how guests could become involved. We want to thank everyone who supported the Bursary Foundation by buying tickets to the event, and those who bought raffle tickets, to the many generous donors of wines, elements of the menu and auction lots and everyone who gave freely of their time, energy, and talents.
If you would still like to support us, you can donate directly via the links below and we will also be running a silent auction in the next month. Please note that every individual donation qualifies for a s.18 certificate (which is timely with the end of the tax year rapidly approaching) and there are also B-BBEE points available for corporate donations.
If you want to find out more about the Foundation you can click here Bridge House Bursary Foundation to find out more about this initiative and ways to make a difference.
