Hello Everyone!!!

As many of you will know by now, I am really proud to be a Patron of The Hunger Project UK and as part of a small team of mostly volunteers, I helped them to create a really special annual day called World Hunger Day, in aid of The Hunger Project.

This event was launched at a really star studded gala concert in London on January 9th, 2011, starring the legendary Dionne Warwick and Friends (who include the lady herself, Natalie Cole, Elaine Paige, Mica Paris, David Elliott and my friends Simon Keenlyside, Steven McRae and Jumoke Fashola, supported by the incredible voices of The London Community Gospel Choir and the brilliant Southbank Sinfonia). Quite an evening and a genuinely amazing achievement for the tiny UK division of The Hunger Project (2 part-time staff...brilliant).

I was sitting in the audience (with quite a few of you too) and I thought to myself...this is amazing and want to do something to support The Hunger Project and grow awareness of World Hunger Day and so........ 

After a 22 year absence, I decided that I would put on a dance gala in my home town of Ipswich and ask some of my friends to join me.

Well that was the idea, a nice easy to manage intimate fundraising affair...and then it grew and just kept on growing.

At The Regent Theatre, Ipswich, on September 11th, 2011...

The Royal Ballet's Steven McRae, Mara Galeazzi, Robert Marquez, Nehemiah Kish, Yuhui Choe, Bennet Gartside, Melissa Hamilton, Paul Kay, Leanne Cope, Liam Scarlett, English National Ballet's Begona Cao, Jazz Singer Jumoke Fashola, The Royal Opera's Nigel Cliffe and Royal Ballet Pianist Kate Shipway will join a mass choir of my friends from The Gallery Players, Ipswich Operatic and Dramatic Society, The Co-op Juniors Theatre Company, Appeal Theatre Group and 20 dancers from my orginal dancer school, The Linda Shipton School of Dance, to perform the very first regional World Hunger Day Gala event in support of The Hunger Project.

The icing on the cake is that my dear friend and fellow Patron, Angela Rippon OBE has not only agreed to host the evening, but will also be dancing with me.

I would like to ask two things of you....

1. If you are available please come and join the 1,600 people who have already booked tickets to see the show. You can find details of the event, The Royal Ballet's Gary Avis & Friends at www.ipswichregent.com or you can call the box office on 01473 433100. There are two shows on the day at 1.30pm and 6.30pm

2. I know many of you are far away or will be far away on the day, so please could I ask you to make a donation and support all the amazing people on the stage, behind the stage and in front of the stage on the day who are volunteering their talents to make this all happen.

To find out more about why I support The Hunger Project, please visit www.thehungerproject.co.uk

Thank you so much on behalf of everyone involved in this project.

Have a look at some of the photos I've posted from the launch event on January 9th and I hope to have some pictures from the gala very soon after the event so pop back and have a look when you get a mo.  

Thank you so much.

Gary xx

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