Over 300 partygoers raised £15,000 for young homeless lesbian, gay and bisexual and people at an exclusive auction staged by the Albert Kennedy Trust on Sunday.
The event, hosted by Sir Ian McKellen, took place in Soho's Greek Street, where BBC TV’s Open House presenter Kristian Digby and Dr David Bull encouraged party goers to dig deep by auctioning an oil painting of Sir Ian McKellen for £5,700.
Celebrity DJs Boy George and Fat Tony also performed at the event.
Sponsored by Aviva, Box Bar and W H Patterson, the event marked both the 20th anniversary of the Trust and the 10th anniversary of social networking site Jake, which is now the world’s largest community of gay professionals with over 30,000 members.
Craig Solomon, Operations Director of Jake said, “We are so grateful to our members for raising such a significant amount for such a worthy cause. Gay professionals have really made an impact on the lives of young people who turn to the AKT for advice and support. A big thank you to everyone who came to our 10th Birthday in aid of the Albert Kennedy Trust”
Jake was founded 10 years ago to provide both online and offline networking for the gay professional community. It holds weekly events for its members including social networking drinks, business society dinners, media society events with guest speakers, a mentoring programme and a voice for the gay community in the political arena.
Jonathan Penny, Fundraising and Communications Officer for the Albert Kennedy Trust comments: “Homophobic prejudice is still rife in society today, and as a result many young gay people face rejection by family or peers. Too often, some of these people are forced out on the streets. The funds raised tonight will enable us to help provide safe housing and a supportive environment for young people who otherwise would be in grave danger. We would like to say a big thank you to our donors and sponsors for making this such a successful evening.”