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Guests wowed at Sparkle 2016

Weeks of anticipation culminated in an evening of luxury, opulence, fun, and surprise, with Sparkle 2016 truly delivering an experience worthy of being touted as ‘Hawke’s Bay’s finest black tie event’.

Taking place at Church Road Winery on Saturday night, the sold-out event was hosted by PSEC in aid of their Enliven service. Supported by more than 100 sponsors, Sparkle 2016 was attended by 250 guests, all dressed in their finest and most glamorous attire.

Enliven supports older people and people with disability to remain as independent as possible in their own homes. Although the Enliven Home Support service is funded by the Hawke’s Bay District Health Board, the day programmes attended by over 100 clients per week are reliant on fundraising.

From the beautiful Hall of Mirrors décor, to exquisitely presented food created by four of the Bay’s top chefs, served with award-winning Church Road wines, no detail was spared in the presentation of an evening that offered the finest of everything that Hawke’s Bay has to offer.

With a large number of guests being from out of town, the evening not only showcased the charitable, but also Hawke’s Bay itself.

Guests required little encouragement to take to the dance floor early on in the evening, thanks to the wonderful entertainment provided by Jon Fletcher. Back by popular demand from guests at last year’s event, drag artiste extraordinaire, Buckwheat, once again had the crowd fully engaged – this time as Master of Ceremonies. Dressed in attire that can only be described as ‘lavishly over-the-top’, one ‘wow’ moment of the evening was without a doubt his larger than life performance on stilts!

The surprise act of the evening was performed by the BeatGirls, who infused the entire marquee with an energy that ensured few were able to resist the dance floor! The dancing just did not stop!

“We were very happy to be able to show off the winery and grounds and some of our best wines in such a beautiful way,” says Church Road Senior Wine Maker, Chris Scott. “The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive for all aspects of the event. People were blown away with the surroundings, both the winery and the incredible marquee fit out. The food was incredible and showcased the region beautifully, and wine and food pairings worked so well. Buckwheat was at her larger than life best and made a very entertaining MC, and to see the crowd up and filling the dance floor straight after the entrée, and at every available opportunity thereafter, was testament to the great entertainment! Most of all we were very happy to be able to offer support to Enliven, which is such a worthwhile cause.”

“The night was a wonderful success,” says Shirley Collins, PSEC’s Fundraising, Communication and Marketing Manager. “The initial feedback has been that people had an amazing time and were completely blown away with the décor, brilliant and creative menu, and our entertainment line up. It was just wonderful to see people’s faces as they walked in the marquee for the first time, and then to see them enjoying themselves so much throughout the evening. Thank you so much to everyone who has supported Sparkle 2016 in any way, we are so grateful that so many people have come together in support of Enliven, our very worthy cause. We will be releasing more Sparkle news and photography very soon.”