GENEROSITY: TV celebrity Reverend Kate Bottley, front centre, was guest speaker at the 102nd annual charity dinner held by Portsmouth Property Association at the citys Royal Maritime Club. A total of £6,000 was raised, with donations from auctioned lots and raffle prizes going to two local charities adopted by PPA chairman Iain Morrison, right. Also pictured are the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of Portsmouth, Councillor Tom Coles and Nikki Coles.
Two charities in Portsmouth are to benefit from thousands of pounds raised by Portsmouth Property Association at its 102nd annual charity dinner.
More than 200 property sector professionals attended the black-tie event at the city’s Royal Maritime Club, with Reverend Kate Bottley, widely known as the ‘Gogglebox Vicar’.
The TV and radio presenter brought the house down with her hilarious – and often poignant – anecdotes about her vocational calling and what her ecclesiastical responsibilities entail.
“I’m not management, I’m sales,” Kate quipped, referring to her task in filling churches in rural Nottinghamshire.
Her speech, in which Kate walked around the tables with a microphone without missing a beat, was followed by the grand charity auction, which was conducted by Clive Emson MBE, founder and chairman of Clive Emson Auctioneers, regional land and property auctioneers.
A total of £6,000 was raised, with donations from auctioned lots and raffle prizes going to two local charities adopted by PPA chairman Iain Morrison of insurance brokers Finch.
After the event, Iain said: “Members of the PPA once again donated generously at the annual charity dinner, helping children and adults with disabilities and people in need of daily items many of us too often take for granted.”
Of the money raised, £3,000 has been given to Enable Ability, which provides care, welfare and advancement of disabled people in and around Portsmouth, with the other £3,000 going to the Moving On Project Portsmouth, which helps those who are struggling financially with furniture and household essentials.
PPA also donated £250 to the Lord Mayor’s Charity Appeal, benefiting Portsmouth Hospitals Charity, Home-Start Portsmouth and The Royal Navy & Royal Marines Charity.
Headline sponsor for the PPA event was chartered surveyors Destin 4 and guest speaker sponsor was estate and lettings agency Chinneck Shaw.
Auction lots were donated by Holloway Iliffe & Mitchell, Dack Property Management, Portsmouth Distillery, Enable Ability, Exton Manor Farm, PPA, Victorious Festival, solicitors Wannops, Churchers Solicitors and Williams Racing.
Kate donated Yorkshire treats, including biscuits, a tea pot and cosy and the county’s famous tea, along with a signed copy of her book on life lessons, entitled Have a Little Faith.
PPA confirmed the next annual charity dinner takes place on Friday, 28 February 2025, at the Village Hotel Portsmouth, Lakeshore Drive, Cosham.
Founded in 1920, PPA brings together estate agents, surveyors, lawyers, brokers, architects and other professional advisers, covering residential, commercial and retail, into a collective voice to drive the economic prosperity of the Portsmouth region.
