The Clink is a fabulous charity that runs public restaurants in prisons and provides prison-leavers with opportunities to gain new skills and qualifications in hospitality, catering, and horticulture.
We were delighted to be invited to their annual Charity Ball this year, which took place at the Royal Lancaster London. The Clink’s Events arm and Bakery are in many ways showcases of English produce, and this was the first year that they were able to offer guests English sparkling wine, because Danebury Vineyards had kindly donated some of their 2022 Brut ‘Cossack’. As such, they asked us to help make it a proper celebration of English viticulture and winemaking, by teaching guests sabrage to raise vital funds for the Charity.
The host for the evening was the one and only Tim Vine—comedian, actor, writer, presenter, and undisputed punmaster. He welcomed (and thoroughly amused) guests, then proceeded to impress them with a perfect act of sabrage! We heard inspirational stories from Clink graduates, and CEO Donna-Marie Edwards told us more about the fantastic work the Charity is doing. We enjoyed a fantastic banquet (courtesy of Clink Events), taught sabrage to several wonderful guests, then put our swords away and saw off the rest of the evening dancing to a medley of classics performed by The Executives.
We are incredibly grateful to our Honorary President, Vic Laws MBE, for arranging this opportunity for us (Vic is the Charity’s Group Restaurant Ambassador and Chair of the Charity Ball Committee). It is a true privilege to be able to play a small part in supporting their important and life-changing work, and we look forward to partnering with them more in future!
Photos: Paul Griffiths Photography