The Covent Garden Tenants Association has raised just short of £60,000 for a blood cancer charity and a London hospice through its annual tenants' ball.
The money went to Trinity Hospice in Clapham and the Anthony Nolan charity, both of which were chosen as beneficiaries several years ago when a trader's son died of blood cancer.
Over the last 15 years, the CGTA has raised more than £600,000 for the two charities thanks to donations from the market, its suppliers and its customers,helping to raise awareness of the importance of donating stem cells and bone marrow.
Anthony Nolan was set up in 1974 by a woman called Shirley Nolan, whose three-year-old son Anthony was in urgent need of a bone marrow transplant. It matches stem cell and bone marrow donors to people withblood cancerandblood disorders who need lifesaving transplants.
Led by CGTA chairman Gary Marshall, fundraising at this year’s ball included a raffle and a silent auction, with sports memorabilia among the prizes.
And the tenants’ association was rewarded for its efforts, winning the Organisational Fundraiser of the Year award at the 2017 Anthony Nolan Supporter awards.
The charity ball also featured a lifetime achievement award for Tony Allison of New Covent Garden fresh produce distributor Allison Risebro.
Heralding Allison’s contribution to the market, Marshall said: “He is a true gentlemen in every sense of the word, a true supporter of Covent Garden Market, and a man who has given many hours of his free time to be an active member of my executive. His reputation is second to none.”
