By Jamie Oliver
"Last week we held our annual fundraiser for Fifteen Foundation, Jamie’s Big Night. As you know 2007 also saw the fifth anniversary of Fifteen London so it's been a big year. All the restaurants are doing really well, but this fundraiser is a really important occasion as it goes a long way to helping us pay for many of the apprentices living costs. The Foundation have great ambitions and would love to build their own catering kitchen near Fifteen London, so it was great that we raised over £200,000 on the night.
Ronan Keating, who was our guest performer, played unplugged and was absolutely bloody brilliant. I'd like to say a huge thank you to Ronan for giving up his night and giving away prizes for the auction. We really appreciate it, cheers! I would also like to thank everyone at Bloomberg who hosted the party at their head office and sponsored the event. A great bunch of people there helped to make it happen, so big love to you! Thanks to everyone who helped to make the night happen, and donated their time and skills so generously: Merlin for the Event and AV Management, Mondavi who provided all of the wines, Fifteen Events, Fresh Retail Ventures and Peachy Keen Organics who supplied all of the products for the goodie bags. And I mustn't forget the apprentices who did a top job of cooking the food which was spot on. Last but by no means least, thanks to all those who competed in the auction and donated so generously to The Fifteen Foundation - nice one guys!"
Love Jamie Oxxx
A statement from Bloomberg
"Bloomberg is delighted to support Fifteen Foundation in its ambitious aims to inspire and train a new generation of young people to work in the restaurant industry. The company is dedicated to building relationships with local communities, and it seems particularly appropriate to host Jamie’s Big Night in our London office, supporting an organisation that has one of the most successful social enterprises just around the corner. Bloomberg has a strong commitment to expanding access to education, art, science, humanities and the environment. Through its philanthropy programme, the company supports a wide range of innovative cultural and charitable initiatives that focus on positive change and sustainability.
Bloomberg is proud to host Jamie’s Big Night in our London office, helping to promote and celebrate the fantastic achievements of all the young people who have benefited from the social enterprise so far while raising vital funds to improve the lives of many more disadvantaged young people in the future."
A big thanks to the following sponsors:
