CCFA first international fundraiser held in January

CCFA first international fundraiser held in January

CCFA first international fundraiser held in London

Hosted at the enchanting Royal Geographical Society in London on January 29th, the first CCFA fundraiser offered a welcome start to 2020. Guest speaker Michael Charton, who has presented his talk over 300 times, was exceptional.

Charton, a South African historian, is known for his signature performance, My Father’s Coat. Charton presents an experiential account of history that is relevant across cultures and seas. He follows carefully selected South African protagonists over a period spanning 200 turbulent years. Mzilikazi, Kruger, Rhodes, Gandhi, Smuts and Mandela are each given a spotlight under which to lure in the audience by subtly endorsing their beliefs and biases, rather than eliminating them, providing a more inclusive overview of South African history. Through his performance, Charton also highlights the important role historic awareness plays in coming to understand current socio-political behaviour.

Guests at the fundraiser enjoyed South African wines sponsored by Painted Wolf Wine and Waterford Estate. All guests were given the opportunity to take part in an online auction for luxury African holidays, which was a success and helped to raise £30 000 on the evening.

The event was a great opportunity to raise awareness around CCFA initiatives and ongoing projects. 300 people attended the VIP reception held during the interval of the talk, where they enjoyed networking over canapes.

CCFA are overwhelmed by the amount of support shown by the South Africans living in London. We hope to make our fundraiser in the UK an annual event.

CCFA First Fundraiser 2019

CCFA First Fundraiser 2019

CCFA First Fundraiser 2019

Musicians, Acoustic Element, set the mood for the evening with live music as guests were ushered into the venue to enjoy welcome drinks. CCFA Chairman and co-founder, Adrian Gardiner, opened the event with an informative warm welcome to guests and an official introduction to CCFA; its purpose, vision and a brief overview of past and present projects alike.

After starters and the first performance by the Bottomless Coffee Band, the evening’s guest speakers were up – Alex and Renias Van Den Heever, who were absolutely brilliant. Their tales about life as a tracker and as a guide, respectively, along with anecdotes about the friendship they’ve developed out in the field, held the full attention of everyone in the room for the entire 40 minutes that the talk lasted.

While award winning chef, Jane-Therese Mulry, served up her piece de resistance for the evening, guests were once again serenaded by the Bottomless Coffee Band, who performed the song they created especially for CCFA (do you have the name of the song to insert here?). The indie artists who have made a notable name for themselves on the SA music scene over the past few years, have also produced a music video in which CCFA features prominently. The talented duo have partnered with CCFA as official brand ambassadors and aim to raise awareness around CCFA initiatives through the release of this song and music video.

The evening ended off with an auction coated in gold dust as Adrian decided to double up on 3 of the original prize offerings. To top that further, a lucky draw for a trip to Mantis Lion Camp was a welcome surprise that created tangible excitement among the guests.

CCFA are extremely happy with the success of the evening and the positive feedback from guests. The total raised for the evening as an event rounded off to R700 000, while the auction alone brought in R619 000.

We are extremely proud of the CCFA fundraiser hosted in October at the Saxon Hotel in JHB, where 68 guests including the High Commissioner of Rwanda and the French Ambassador were in attendance.