Joanne and I attended the Annual Greater Manchester Police Federation Charity Dinner Dance last night. It was not our usual sort of Saturday Night but as you know we were invited this year as it was in aid of Caring Matters Now.

The event was at the Mercure Manchester Piccadilly Hotel and those invited to the event are Companies and Businesses that work closely with the GMP Police Federation.

It was a great event and I am really grateful to all those from my organisation that nominated Caring Matters Now as this years Charity, apparently inspired by reading the emails I had sent round about running a marathon and climbing Kilimanjaro and more recently the volcanoes along with Phil and Joe in aid of the charity.

The ladies that organised the event from the federation especially Christine Kinder were brilliant.

It was a really well run event, we enjoyed drinks in the bar before being called through to a stunning room by the master of ceremonies. The event started with a game of “heads and tails” the last person standing winning an envelope containing £100. The winner graciously donated his winnings immediately to the charity, which set the scene for the evening.

The chairman of the GMP Federation Ian Hanson spoke about the work of the federation and ended with some very nice words about Caring Matters Now and the great work of the charity and reminded everyone of why we were there to raise funds for the charity.

There were some really good raffle prizes and the ladies circulated the tables selling £10 raffle envelopes. There was also a silent auction for some great prizes including a days golf at the Belfry, Signed football memorabilia from North West teams and including a wooded box set of wine provided by the Special Air Service with their logo on, all of which raised a lot of money also.

After a lovely meal there was an auction for a “Day with GMP” including visits to departments such as firearms, the dog and mounted units and breakfast with the Chief Constable. This went for a staggeringly generous £1500 bid by Police Mutual a financial company that works closely with the Police.

After this the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police Ian Hopkins spoke and he also mentioned the great work the charity does and embarrassingly some of the things we had done to raise money for the charity over recent years. He also announced that due to people’s generosity the event had already raised over £7000 so far for Caring Matters Now.

I was amazed and very humbled by people’s generosity.

We were entertained by the GMP Swing Band, complete with an array of really good singers, it was the first time in 20 odd years I have actually heard the band in action and they really were fantastic.

All in all it was a fantastic night and although I am not aware of the exact final figure raised on the night, it should be a significant sum to help support Caring Matters Now to continue the brilliant work you all do.

Hope to see you both soon.

Nick & Joanne Atter xx

Annual Greater Manchester Police Federation Charity Dinner Dance