Most of you know how honoured and proud it makes me to see my annual charity balls receive such a warm welcome, and that they raise so much for the causes I support. Every event is always sold out, and apart from being to help some amazing charities, it’s always a really good show.

This year, it’s going to be as big as ever. I recently announced that the legend that is Dame Joan Collins will be attending, as well as Olympic legends Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean. And this week I can reveal we will also play host to football and Manchester United hero Paul Scholes AND Mr Showbiz himself Christopher Biggins! Just some of the names to expect to see at the Kimpton Clocktower in Manchester on 9^th October. So exciting!

But, this year is different for other reasons. Of course I am proud and honoured that thousands will be raised for the likes of Variety, the Children’s Charity, Variety North West, The Teenage Cancer Trust, Mahdlo Youth Zone and Wigan Youth Zone, but the significance of the Michael Josephson Charity Ball 2021 runs even deeper than that. I think we can ALL be proud of the event, because it represents how far we have come, how much we have sacrificed and how resilient we all are.

The recent eighteen months has been amongst the toughest in my life (which is saying something), but there are people who struggled even more. People who lost their jobs, homes, their health and even loved ones to the pandemic. The charity sector, which very much relies on real-time events to raise money. At some points it felt like it was never going to end, backwards and forwards out of ongoing lockdown measures did nothing for our mental health, or our businesses. But, we all kept going. Then of course along came the vaccine, and most of us did the right thing and had it, we did it for the greater good and it seems to be working. The end is (almost) in site, and without the residence of human nature the Michael Josephson Charity Ball 2021 would not be happening.

So, here’s to the 9^th October. Keep posted, as I’ll be shouting about it as much as possible… we all need a bit of good news!