A gala auction event has raised almost £50,000 to support the work of Canonbury’s Rose Bowl Community Centre.
The event, held at Frederick’s restaurant in Angel, was organised by a fundraising group to support work with young people.
Olivia Ghosh from Christie’s conducted the auction and Oswin Baker, chair of the Friends of the Rose Bowl, said: “The support of local residents helped the Friends of Rose Bowl towards its highest total ever.”
The Rose Bowl is jointly funded by Friends of the Rose Bowl and Islington Council. They provide activities such as cooking, sports, and music production for children aged 5-18, and opened a food bank for the families of the children who attend.
This was the first gala since the pandemic. Baker described how lovely it was to see the supporters all under one roof again. He said it was: “A year to say thank you to the people who have stood by us in the last few years.”
Owayes Ayad, a civil servant, gave a speech outlining how the Rose Bowl centre helped him while he was growing up.
He said: “I was lost, I didn’t have any parental support, no employment and I had to fight tooth and nail against social barriers. It wasn’t a choice and it just happened.”
He added: “But what if the Rose Bowl wasn’t there? What if it was just empty land? What if it was just empty land? What if I never went to the food bank? That was a choice and It’s all about choices.”
There were 20 lots in the auction donated by Local businesses such as the Almeida Theatre, Plaquemine Lock and Frederick’s donated in the 20 lots provided. Baker said: “It’s been evident that the demand for this sort of service has really shot up.”
