youth trust dinner 1

Youth Trust welcomes new patron, Lord Grade, at Annual Gala Dinner

Felicity shares this latest news on behalf of the Isle of Wight Youth Trust. Ed


Last Saturday, 17th November, the Isle of Wight Youth Trust celebrated its 10th Annual Gala Dinner with a special event at Northwood House, Cowes.

The evening saw 170 guests in attendance, including Level 42 frontman Mark King, Island MP Bob Seely, Lady Sally Grylls, as well as Lady Francesca Grade and Lord Michael Grade.

Youth Trust Patrons Rob and Josie da Bank (pictured below) curated the evening bringing their unique creative sheen to the event. Josie decorated Northwood House with hundreds of twinkling lights and stunning foliage arrangements, while Rob kept guests dancing into the early hours with an impressive DJ set.

Youth Trust Chairman, Malcolm Marshall, CEO, Mairead Healy and Patrons, Josie and Rob da Bank

Healy: “Raised well over £400,000 in ten years”
Youth Trust CEO, Mairead Healy said that the event was a key part of the charity’s fundraising calendar.

She said,

“We are delighted to have celebrated our 10th Annual Gala Dinner. This event has raised well over £400,000 since its inception and has made an important impact on the level of service the Youth Trust is able to provide. This event is always spectacular and last Saturday was no exception. As always, the whole Island community came together to show their support for the Youth Trust and our work to support young Islanders.

“The past 18 months have been a time of rapid change and growth for the Youth Trust. We are offering more counselling sessions than ever before and moved to a larger building in September to accommodate our expansion. It was excellent to celebrate these developments, in addition to our fundraising success, with some of our most loyal supporters on Saturday evening.”

New patron
Guests on the night were treated to an exclusive announcement as the Youth Trust revealed that Lord Michael Grade will be joining as one of the charity’s Patrons.

Mairead said,

“We are thrilled to announce that Lord Michael Grade will be joining Rob and Josie as a Patron for the Youth Trust. He has a strong history leading many national institutions during his career, including as Chairman of the BBC, Camelot, ITV and his current role as Chairman of the Fundraising Regulator. We are absolutely thrilled he has chosen us, at the Youth Trust to work with and share his very considerable expertise.”

Youth Trust staff and trustees

Healy: Thanks for support
She further added,

“I would like to thank everyone who contributed to making the evening a success. Rob and Josie da Bank worked exceptionally hard in curating the evening and our sponsors, IFPL and Spence Willard ensured we were able to maximise our fundraising efforts on the night. Of course, we wouldn’t be celebrating 10 Gala Dinners, were it not for our founding sponsors at The Royal Hotel, Ventnor.

“It was also fantastic to see so many Island businesses get involved. Whether it was through advertising in the evening’s brochure, donating their services, or donating an item for the evening’s auction, we are proud to have such a supportive community.”