We’re edging closer and closer to the big day on November the 16th…. And donations have now officially opened – with a bang!

We had a very big MJBall24 moment last week, the Silent Auction went LIVE! This gives all my guests a chance to bid on some amazing auction lots before the event has even begun. It’s a great way of whetting everyone’s appetite for some fundraising on the night, and they get the chance to make bids on some really brilliant prizes and experiences and get the ball rolling on the final total. Already (at time of writing this blog post on 24th September) we are at over £116K… and still almost two months to go.

There’s been huge amounts of work going on behind the scenes for months, from myself, my team, and all my friends at the charities. It’s all been worth it because never before have we seen such a huge amount of incredible lots. If you’ve not already checked out the lots, go to www.mjcharityball.com, you’ll be amazed.

We are also hugely honoured that the Silent Auction includes a very special prize. Sir Michael Morpugo, the much-loved author of over 150 books, including War Horse and Private Peaceful, has donated the chance to name a character in his next novel to the ball. By bidding you will not only be supporting charities across the UK, but will also immortalise the name of a loved one forever as one of the characters within the treasured author’s next novel. Sir Michael Morpurgo is a longstanding supporter of children’s charities, including The Anne Frank Trust, one of the five main beneficiaries of the 2024 Michael Josephson MBE Charity Ball, and has spoken about the impact Anne Frank’s diaries have had on his life from a young age. We are beyond grateful to Sir Michael, and everyone who has donated this year…. go to www.mjcharityball.com now! GET BIDDING!!

That’s not all, of course when my guests arrive at the ball, at the Hilton Hotel on Deansgate on 16th November, we’re going to hit them with the Grand Auction lots. I don’t want to say too much about this, as we’ll be slowly revealing each of them during September, October and early November. Needless to say, if you think the Silent Auction is impressive, imagine what we have in store for you for the GRAND Auction. Stay tuned to find out!

Last year we beat records, becoming the first million pound plus charity gala in the north west. We set the benchmark high at £1,063, 872. It’s a challenge – but we can beat it!