Duerr’s Raises £40K With Tutti Fruiti Ball

Tutti Fruiti, you beauty – Wythenshawe jam and preserve maker Duerr’s has raised an amazing £40,000 for charity at its annual themed ball.

The money was raised at the Tutti Fruiti 1950s themed evening held at The Mere resort in Cheshire last month, with funds going to The Joshua Tree charity.

A packed room of 350 plus guests – many in fancy dress – enjoyed an evening of all things 1950s rock ‘n’ roll, with more than a few nods towards Duerr’s own fruity jams and marmalades.

Hosted by radio presenter Mark Radcliffe, patron of The Joshua Tree, guests dug deep for a variety of money-can’t-buy auction and raffle prizes.

Reflecting on the success of the 18th charity ball held by the company, director of marketing, (Little) Richard Duerr, says: “We’re blown away by the success of the ball yet again.

“We would like to thank our extended family of friends, colleagues and suppliers for continuing to support us and our charity efforts.

“We chose The Joshua Tree charity this year, which helps families in the North West affected by childhood cancer. They are reliant on donations from the public to be able to offer their services free of charge to the 80 families and growing, who access their services during an incredibly traumatic time. All the money raised from the ball will go towards helping them continue their amazing work.”

Joshua Hill, who the charity is named after, was at the ball with his parents Lynda and David. David says: “Every penny raised will make a massive difference to families going through the experience of childhood cancer. We would like to say a massive thank you to Duerr’s and everyone who attended and supported the ball – it was a brilliant night.”

JamFest Rocks Up £60,000 For Brainwave

Peace, love and rock ‘n’ roll came together at The Mere Golf Resort & Spa for the Duerr’s Annual Charity Ball, this year raising a chart-topping £60,000 for Brainwave.

The UK’s oldest family-owned preserve and peanut butter producers are renowned for their annual themed knees-up, and with a stellar effort from all guests, this year’s ‘JamFest’ was no exception.

With wellies, wrist-bands and peace-signs galore, everyone from ‘Jimi Hendrix’ to ‘Janis Joplin’ made an appearance. Hall of fame musicians danced the night away alongside guests in Oktoberfest’s famous lederhosen and dirndls, in a festival free-for-all.

Party-goers were welcomed with a Bucks Fizz and feasted on a festival-inspired three course meal before rummaging in their bumbags to compete for auction prizes including backstage passes for Olly Murs, a money-can’t-buy trip to a Caribbean Island and VIP tickets to the X Factor final.

The money raised will go towards aiding Brainwave’s incredible work supporting families with disabled children, providing therapy and exercise programmes to help develop children with physical and cognitive disabilities such as cerebral palsy, Down’s syndrome and autism.

Mark Duerr, managing director of F.Duerr and Sons comments: “This year had everything a good festival should have, apart from the mud and toilet queues! The room was rocking, but even better than that we raised an astonishing amount of money for a brilliant cause.

“Once again, we’ve been blown away by the generosity of our guests who are true Jamfest legends.”

Carole Headley, Development Manager at Brainwave added: “What a fantastic event! I’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone at Duerr’s for raising such an incredible amount of money.

“The work we do is very important to families across the UK, helping children to reach their full potential; but it is dependent on donations, which is why we’re so incredibly grateful to Duerr’s for their support.”

Party goers in all their festival finery at Duerr’s JamFest