Cocktail party brings glitz and glamour to Sheffield

A charity cocktail party to honour Lance Bombardier Matthew Hatton, who lost his life in Afghanistan, brought a touch of glamour to Ponds Forge International Sports Centre.

Matthew, from York, was just 23 years of age when he was killed in a double explosion in the Helmand Province area of Afghanistan in August 2009.

The Ponds Forge party was one of a series of fundraising events organised by Matthew’s sister, Vicky Hatton (26), from Sheffield, to raise money for Help for Heroes, which supports courageous soldiers who have been wounded in action whilst deployed in action in Iraq or Afghanistan.

The glamorous ‘dress to impress’ cocktail party featured a drinks reception, casino tables, live music and prize giveaways and was attended by more than 160 people.

The evening raised more than £4000 through ticket sales and fundraising through the night, adding to the £42,000 already raised by friends and family of Vicky and Matthew.

Vicky said: “We are delighted with how the party went and I would like to thank everyone for making the event so special and helping us raise so much money for Help for Heroes, which is a cause that was particularly close to my brother’s heart.

“Matt was a hard working and brave soldier, who continuously pushed the boundaries to improve his strength, skills and confidence. In honour of Matthew we wanted to do something really positive and host a series of fundraising activities in his memory for an extremely worthwhile cause.”

A group of eight family members and friends of Vicky’s brother will also take on the challenge of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in March this year.

They are hoping to raise £50,000 for Help for Heroes, a charity which supports wounded service men and women.

Helen Broadbent, general manager at Sheffield International Venues (SIV) managed Ponds Forge, said: “We are thrilled that the cocktail party was a huge success and Vicky has already raised a fantastic amount of money for Help for Heroes, which is a very worthy cause.”

Prizes given away during the cocktail party included a champagne luxury stay for two at the Leopold Hotel in Sheffield, two tickets to any show at Sheffield Theatres, Limited Edition James Bond DVDs signed by Judi Dench, Guitar Hero for Xbox, a food hamper from Fortnum and Mason and many more.

To sponsor Vicky visit www.justgiving.com/vickyhatton.