'Diamonds are Forever' Ball
Guests at the 'Diamonds are Forever' Ball held by the Noah's Ark Appeal were dazzled by star performances and a spectacular impromptu performance by the fundraising evening's guest of honour, Dame Shirley Bassey.
The Ball, held at Cardiff 's prestigious City Hall on 24 th September was a glittering occasion held in honour of Dame Shirley Bassey's magnificent contribution of £125,000 to the Noah's Ark Appeal from the auction of fifty of her finest dresses, held at Christies last year.
Children from Mount Stuart Primary School in Cardiff Bay lined the steps to the entrance of the Marble Hall, dressed as animals from Noah's Ark , to welcome Dame Shirley who was thrilled to see them.
Two of the dresses auctioned at Christies were on display during the evening – kindly brought in by their very proud new owners, Mrs Carlow and Susan Middler, who are both great fans of Dame Shirley.
Throughout the course of the evening guests enjoyed the talented performances of singing sensation, Kathryn Jenkins, West End musical star Peter Karrie and WNO principle tenor Wynne Evans. Cor Meibion de Cymru gave a rousing performance, which moved the audience to join in and culminated in a medley of some of Dame Shirley Bassey's most famous hits.
Welsh TV and radio presenter, Roy Noble paid tribute to Dame Shirley in a speech, which made her laugh, gasp with surprise at his irreverent humour and, in parts, even moved her to tears.
Dame Shirley joined Lyn Jones, Chairman of Trustees to draw the winners of the raffle prizes: a Panasonic TV and five exquisite sets of Swarovski jewellery. The winner of each draw not only won a magnificent prize but also received a congratulatory kiss on the cheek from Dame Shirley. One of the guests who won a prize was asked by her friend what Dame Shirley had said to her. She responded "I can't remember what she said or what I said, I was so excited and star struck."
Following the raffle, the Master of Ceremonies asked for an opening bid to start off the auction of a delightful dolls house, decorated with miniature antique furniture. The auctioneer's gavel closed the bidding at £3,400 securing the dolls house for Mr Eddie Haywood.
As the guests began to settle back into their seats following the excitement of the auction, Dame Shirley suddenly stood up and announced that she was going to auction the dress she was wearing. As she walked back to the stage, the band began to play 'Big Spender' and, with a big grin, Dame Shirley asked for an opening bid. To encourage the bidding to go higher, Dame Shirley, began to tease the guests with lines from Big Spender. As the bidding got higher, Dame Shirley, clearly enjoying herself and the response from the audience, sang more and more of the song much to everyone's delight. The bidding closed at £6,500, the pale pink, jewel encrusted dress going to Mr Dudley Francis.
Director of the Noah's Ark Appeal, Suzanne Mainwaring said "We didn't expect that we'd be lucky enough to hear Dame Shirley sing but her impromptu performance was terrific – she brought the house down!"
A live band ensured a packed dance floor until the end of the evening (at 01:00), when guests reluctantly began to leave. Lyn Jones, Chairman of Trustees said, "It's been a terrific night, and I am delighted that our guest of honour, celebrity performers and guests have shared this sentiment."