Aagrah Business Dinner continues ‘changing lives’
The annual Aagrah Group of Restaurants Business Dinner returned for a 32nd year in October 2014 and as usual, the highly anticipated event proved a huge success raising thousands of pounds for charity.
Regarded as one of the biggest annual events on the corporate calendar, the evening was attended by more than 700 invited guests including leaders of regional, national and international businesses.
Each year a main beneficiary charity(s) is selected to be supported by the dinner, alongside supporting charities and in 2014, the Prince’s Trust and Mosaic were chosen.
Last month, both charities received their donations raised from the night, totalling £15,000 each.
Aagrah Group’s Vice-Chair, Zaffar Iqbal, presented one cheque to Jonathan Townsend of the Prince’s Trust whilst Aagrah’s Managing Director, Mohammed Aslam MBE, presented the separate donation to Mosaic’s Jonathan Freeman.
Aagrah’s Jannat Welfare International Trust, the charity wing of the Aagrah Group, also supports Alshifa eye hospital.
With generous support from Aagrah’s supplier partner, sponsors and supporters, the business has raised more than £1.6 million to date, which has been used to make a real difference to so many people.
Thanks to generous funding from events like the Business Dinner, The Prince’s Trust was able to help almost 5,000 disadvantaged young people in Yorkshire and the Humber to get their lives back on track last year.
Money raised helps the Trust’s work with 13 to 30 year olds who are unemployed, and those struggling at school and at risk of exclusion, giving them the skills and confidence to succeed.
The Trust’s programmes give vulnerable young people the practical and financial support needed to stabilise their lives, helping develop self-esteem and skills for work.
Chantelle Gautier, a young person that had been supported by The Prince’s Trust and spoke at the Aagrah Charity Business Dinner said: “The Prince’s Trust helped me turn my life around; I didn’t want to be on the dole but was struggling to find work. Thanks to the Trust’s ‘Get into Customer Services’ programme I’m now working full-time in a job I love, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity. Events like this help to fund programmes that really do change lives like mine.”
The annual Business Dinner started 32 years ago in memory of Sajid Sabir, son of Aagrah Group Chairman Mohammed Sabir MBE, Dbs.
Every year, money is raised for different regional, national and international charities with 70 per cent of all funds donated to UK charities and 30 per cent allocated to charities abroad.
