Writes James G. (U6ths)
What a fantastic event for everyone. First of all, the Phab team would like to give a massive thank you to the following people: Mr McCann and the rest of his team in The Hands of Jazz; the catering staff; all other boys who helped make this event run smoothly, and of course the heads of the Phab Team, Mrs Hazan and Mrs Omert, who both work exceptionally hard to organise such events.
The night began with a round of drinks for everyone (of age!), while listening to some soft jazz, put on by the band. Once everybody had arrived, Ravin A. (U6th, Head Monitor and Phab Secretary) gave a warm welcome to the guests and the night commenced.
Martin and Ruth from Swingland started the list of events by showing us how to swing dance and it was not nearly as easy as they made it look. Mr McCann and the band then played some wonderful live music, which we all got the pleasure to listen to; a personal favourite of the night being a jazz twist on Oasis’ Wonderwall.
While the music was going on, Lasen D-S., Huseyin O., Zac W., Amos G. and Blake B. (all U6ths) worked extremely hard making sure that all drinks were topped up and everybody was catered for. Gus D. (U6th) and I went around every guest selling raffle tickets, which could win some amazing prizes, including Triad in-ground speakers, spa vouchers, signed football shirts and much more.
After a thrilling performance from the band, everyone tucked into the food, expertly prepared by the Catering Staff. I hear that the tiramisu went down exceptionally well. After everyone had finished eating, Martin and Ruth came back on stage to show us how to Solo Charleston and, if you thought the Swing Dance earlier was hard, this was on another level. It was lovely to see so many people getting involved and trying something new.
With anticipation building, it was finally time for the big event – the raffle. Agastya D., Joe H. and Albert V. (all U6ths) took to the stage to commence the raffle. They did an excellent job of keeping the room engaged, with wit and excitement. Joe H.’s (U6th) deliberately slow announcing of which ticket had won had everyone gripped, especially the children at the front, who were jumping each time their colour or first number was called.
It was truly exciting and was great to see all the happy faces going to collect their prizes. However, it was rather funny when Agastya D. (U6th) won a prize and didn’t realise since he was busy announcing them. Unfortunately for him, his prize had to be awarded to another lucky winner! Once all the prizes had been claimed and the raffle was behind us, Mr McCann and the band returned to the stage to put on a final set of songs to finish the evening. Mrs Haye was featured in the band as a singer and was simply outstanding.
This evening was such a great success, both for those who attended and for Phab. We have raised a significant amount of money, and these fundraisers are so crucial in making Phab Week possible. This has been an excellent start to the year for the team, and I look forward to seeing what the rest of the year has in store.
If you have any questions regarding Phab, please contact us using Phab@mtsn.org.uk
