Birmingham turned up the volume as a rock music themed charity event brought together business leaders, music lovers and charity champions for a night celebrating some of England’s greatest music – with the city proudly taking centre stage.
Held at the city’s historic Burlington Hotel, Birmingham Rocks – staged by the St George for England and the City of Birmingham Ball – the event struck all the right chords, raising £16,400 for the Matt Gallagher Foundation and the Alzheimer’s Society.
Hundreds of guests from across the region swapped boardrooms for backstage glamour, letting their hair down and embracing the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll – many arriving dressed as legendary music icons in a night packed with energy, entertainment and more than a few encores.
Birmingham is renowned globally as the birthplace of heavy metal and has produced iconic rock bands including Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Napalm Death, and pop greats such as Duran Duran, ELO and The Moody Blues.
The evening’s soundtrack came courtesy of spectacular tribute performances to music greats Robbie Williams, George Michael and Freddie Mercury and local live band Hot Property ensuring there was no shortage of singalong moments or air guitar solos.
Guests played rock bingo, entered a raffle and also had the chance to bid for headline-worthy auction prizes, including tickets to next season’s England v France clash in the Six Nations rugby tournament and a luxury boat trip to lunch on the Isle of Wight. The event was hosted by BBC Radio WM presenter PJ Ellis, who kept the evening moving at a chart-topping pace.
Jonathan Robinson, chairman of the event and director of commercial property investor and developer Barberry Group, said: “Birmingham Rocks proved once again that when this city comes together, we can really raise the roof and, crucially, raise vital funds for fantastic causes. It was an unforgettable night full of music, laughter and generosity, with people truly rocking for a reason. We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who supported the event, from our sponsors and performers to every guest who helped make it such a hit.”
Committee members include Alfred Bartlet of Ogle Property, Ciaran Nolan of NREG, Edward Siddall-Jones of Siddall Jones, Jack Davies of Coreus Group, Nick Warwick of Nolan Associates, Sarah Tibbetts of BTS, and Tim Blairs of Antringham. The auctioneer was Rupert Young of Bayfield. Rock Bingo was hosted by Nick Warwick.
Table sponsors included Barberry, Johnson Fellows, Nolan Associates, BTS, Savills, Fisher German, Siddall Jones, Caddick, AECOM, Midlands Property Rugby Club, Antringham, The Engineering Practice, Willmot Dixon, Bournville RFC/Frontier, MFG Solicitors, Friends of St George, Creative Energy, Knights, Beinham Meikle, Coreus Group, Ogle Property, MAPP, Right & Partners, Harris Lamb, DW Pointer, Fisher German, and Lodders/Trinity Property Group, helping to ensure the event hit the right note for charity.
