FTFE Fabulous Friday!

Bonfire night arrived dark and rainy but there were definitely no damp squibs at the Follow That Fire Engine Fabulous Friday Night! Many months of hard work were topped off with a last few mad hours of all hands on deck, getting Glaziers Hall all togged out in FTFE colours and making sure everything was ready to play host to all the lovely guests attending. And what a night was in store for them!

The wonderful Andrea and Lynsey, in spite of not being FTFE crew members, had both been heavily involved in the organisation and running of the event and they did FTFE proud on the night, welcoming and greeting guests to Glaziers Hall and making sure everyone had their chance at winning a spot prize on the door. Thank you so much ladies for generously donating both your time and money to the cause!

Now no FTFE night would be complete without a visit from a fire engine, this time however it was entirely unplanned! A little bit too much excitement involving the dancefloor ‘haze’ machine, duly set the smoke alarms off and the London Fire Brigade trooped on down to check what all the fuss was about. Nothing like a bit of drama to kick things off!

With the sirens silenced and FTFE balloons, scrolling photos and bunting to guide theway, a champagne reception awaited the guests upstairs. They were soon enjoying the tasty bubbles and tucking into the delicious and elegant food supplied by Squires Catering.

Tim Rivett was our charming MC for the evening and he did a grand job of reminding everyone what the event was all about and the inspiration behind the FTFE expedition. And like any good MC he made sure all the guests knew just what fantastic entertainment was lined up for them. First up was singer Steven Bor (www.myspace.com/stevenbor) belting out some classic tunes before leaving things in the capable hands of DJs Alex Royffe and Chris Powell, who kept the music pumping for the rest of the night. Big thanks to James Southby (www.southby.biz) for generously providing and handling all the audio equipment & lighting – it all looked and sounded brilliant!

Top attraction of the night, had to be the casino room: clearly the hottest, most happening gambling joint this side of Monte Carlo. Everyone was feeling lucky and jostling at the tables for a bit of roulette and blackjack action! And between turns of the cards, a quick trip to the firefighting-themed vodka luge proved a popular interlude (or interluge?..). There was never a dull moment with guests flitting from dancefloor to casino and trying their luck with a blindfolded go on the ‘Where’s Martha’ game in between (like ‘pin the tail on the donkey’, but without the donkey, or a tail, well, it wouldn’t be a proper FTFE game without involving a fire engine somewhere, would it?).

Also up for grabs were some incredible prizes in the raffle and silent auction. So many amazing items had been kindly donated and were happily won, including ‘Outside the Box’ comedy club tickets, Pilates lessons from Feel Good Pilates, a chance at rowing with an Olympian with Point 2 Fitness (www.point2fitness.co.uk), a massage courtesy of Core Holistics, a swimming training session with Red Top Swimming (www.redtopswim.com) and a tailor-made shirt from A Suit That Fits (www.asuitthatfits.com) amongst many many more.

All the bidding and buying proved to be thirsty work indeed and the great bar staff were kept busy serving up all manner of refreshments including an FTFE special, the Martha Mojito!

Big thanks must go to Brandkind design (www.brandkind.co.uk) for all their help with the invitations, tickets, and posters. Massive thanks again to ALL who played a part, big or small, in making the night happen and helping it to be such a success – it’s teamwork that has made the whole FTFE mission possible, and it’s that same teamwork and support that helps us keep on raising money.

THANK YOU!

Fab Friday team and the FTFE Crew