Grove Cottage’s Glitter Ball Celebrates Charity’s 60th Anniversary

To celebrate 60 years of supporting people with learning disabilities, Grove Cottage welcomed 150 guests to its Glitter Ball on Saturday, 9^th May, at the beautiful Down Hall Hotel, Estate & Spa. The sun shone as guests arrived and the evening was filled with community spirit, shining a light on the vital work Grove Cottage does to brighten the lives of people with learning disabilities and complex needs across the local community.

Grove Cottage’s Performing Arts Club’s performance was a highlight, as they sang their hearts out with their rendition of Coldplay’s Yellow, reimagined with new lyrics celebrating Grove Cottage’s signature colour, purple. It was a truly heartwarming moment, seeing members perform with their friends on the night, and the charity was incredibly proud of their fantastic performance. The evening was a true celebration of everything that makes Grove Cottage so special and the incredible impact it continues to have within the community.

An evening of glamour, fine dining and dancing raised an incredible £25,000, with guests enjoying wonderful live music from the Bishop’s Stortford Sinfonia String Quartet, silhouette portraits by the incredibly talented Sassy Steve, entertainment from Hoodoo Radio’s Dan and Faye Starr, and an auction hosted by Paul Donovan from Wright & Co. The ballroom was transformed by JNC Events with purple lighting and sound and TV systems. Megan Lovell captured so many magical moments from the evening with her photography skills.

A huge thank you to all our guests, our headline sponsor Alisped UK Ltd, and our sponsors DOC Cleaning Ltd and LC Wealth Management Ltd, for their generous support in helping make the evening such a success.

The evening was a sparkling, spectacular celebration of Grove Cottage’s long history of supporting people with learning disabilities, and an exciting look to the future. As the charity steps into its 60th year, Grove Cottage is asking the community to continue showing their support by taking part in their Give60 appeal. It costs over £600,000 a year to run the charity’s vital timetable of clubs and services and you can make a difference by giving a one-off donation of £60 or by donating just £5 a month for a year. Scan the QR code to donate.

Sophie Darker, whose brother has attended Grove Cottage for 9 years, attended the event with her family and said: “It was lovely celebrating such an important milestone for Grove Cottage and seeing a room full of people coming together to support a charity that does so much for our community, including my brother Jack!

The evening was a real reminder of the impact Grove Cottage has had over the last 60 years, providing support and opportunities for so many.

A huge thank you to the amazing Grove Cottage team, volunteers, supporters and everyone behind the scenes who make this possible.

Here’s to continuing their incredible work for many more years to come!”

Grove Cottage sees no limits to what their members can achieve and, with the support of the community, will continue to be a place of belonging for people with learning disabilities, and a supportive community for their families and carers, now and into the future.