ON a sensational night of fundraising, the inaugural SimpsInns Sunshine Ball at The Gailes Hotel raised a staggering figure of £23,829 with all proceeds in support of Whiteleys Retreat in Ayr.

A huge team effort brought the Sunshine Ball together, not least the support and assistance from Karen and Malcolm Simpson and their team at SimpsInns and The Gailes Hotel. The teams from Santander and Barclays played a crucial role in making it all happen too. In an evening of glitz and glamour, guests arrived in style and had their pictures taken on the red carpet before being welcomed into the Lagavulin Suite for a drinks reception and accompanied by saxophonist Conrad Wiszniewski.

“I can’t tell how delighted we are to have raised such a great amount for this great cause,” said Karen Simpson, owner of SimpsInns. We have enjoyed a great relationship with Whiteleys Retreat and the team at SimpsInns have undertaken a number of charity initiatives through the year.

"To have raised almost £24,000 is simply amazing. Entertainment was provided by Feeva and Devotion DJ David Mitchell was MC, One of the standout items was the weekend trip to Barcelona, courtesy of Italian Aroma Coffee, which raised £1,900.

"There were so many other great items to bid for such as fourball golf at Open Championship venue Royal Troon plus a diamond necklace, donated by Ian D Sim and Fasprint which helped raise such a great total." 

Whiteleys Retreat provides therapeutic short breaks for children, young people and their families with cancer and life-altering illnesses.