A record success in Birmingham!

The Birmingham Question of Sport themed event at the ICC on Thursday 9^th May was a record success.The night was hosted by charity Patron and Question of Sport TV Personality John Parrott. A record crowd of over 800 people attended and helped raise over £65,000 for disadvantaged children in the Midlands.

Warwickshire County Cricket Club brought The LV County Championship Trophy. Jasper Corporate Finance reasserted themselves at the top of European football in the Question of Sport quiz.

Special sporting guests included members of Birchfield Harriers; Paralympian wheelchair athlete, Mickey Bushell MBE, Olympian high jumper, Tom Parsons, and international 110m hurdler Edi Okoro, Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Heptathlon Gold Medallist Louise Hazel and a table of former Aston Villa players.

Kidsout works closely with Birmingham City Council supporting children who find themselves in 10 Women’s Refuges in the City. The Toy Box Service provides for these children and has sent out 361 toy boxes in the area to children who have fled domestic abuse with their mothers with nothing but the clothes on their backs. KidsOut also provides summer day trips to the seaside.

Birmingham Crisis Centre Manager, Anna Freeman spoke on the night about domestic abuse affecting thousands of children seeking refuge every year. Ms Freeman expressed a 14 year olds experience having gone through the trauma.

‘We had to start all over again, we had left the few things my dad hadn’t smashed up behind, we had nothing really, we had no friends and had to leave our school. Toy boxes were delivered to us from KidsOut with presents for me and my little brothers. I couldn’t believe it. I was given some vouchers and was able to go and buy myself some little treats that normal teenage girls take for granted like a hairdryer. I knew then that we hadn’t been forgotten about, people actually cared about me and other children scarred by domestic violence.’

Thanks to the generosity of guests on the night – this work can continue to happen.

Special thanks to Andrew Griffin and the Birmingham Committee for making the event the success it was.

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