The Smile Foundation held their fourth annual Red and Black Ball at the KC Stadium on Friday, November 18th with a record number of attendees.

Hundreds of guests bought tickets to the sell-out event months in advance, and dazzled in their finery at the casino-themed event, where they had the chance to win a trip to Las Vegas and other luxury prizes kindly donated by Smile supporters.

The main sponsor of this year’s Red and Black Ball, for the third year, was Hugh Rice, one of the region’s most prestigious family jewellers.

Danielle Rice-Hewitt, operations director at Hugh Rice said: “The Red and Black Ball is a fantastic event that we look forward to every year. There is an incredible amount of thought and effort involved to make the ball the amazing event that it is.

“We are delighted to support Smile and be associated with the Red and Black Ball as a main sponsor.”

Funds raised at the event will be spent on Smile’s core delivery and special projects. This includes Charity Surgeries, which are a free 1:1 session available to charities and community groups to help them overcome challenges; the Vault, a library of free equipment for charities in Hull and East Yorkshire to borrow and Smile by the Sea, a short break service for those who need it most.

One of Smile’s trustees, Helen Bissett, managing director at H&H Comms, said: “It was inspiring to see so many people from the local business community join us to celebrate another year of amazing achievements for Smile.

“It clearly demonstrates the depth and strength of the links we have with our business partners, who continue to support us in kind and through donation to bring so many good intentions to life.

“As well as having a lot of fun, and its got to be said, throwing some very interesting dance moves, the ball is a great way for us to take stock and reflect on just what we’ve all managed to achieve together.”

Sarah Shepherdson, from Smile and organiser of the event, emphasised how grateful the entire Smile team are to the Red and Black Ball committee who give up hours of their time and meet regularly to ensure the evening is a tremendous success.

She emphasised: “Not only do our committee work hard to make sure everything runs smoothly, they also help Smile source the most incredible prizes for the ball, and we simply could not do it without them.”

Smile is based at Gosschalks Solicitors, and works hard to bring good intentions to life across Hull and East Yorkshire.

Tickets for next year’s Red and Black Ball will go on sale in the New Year.