"Raise a Smile" is the slogan of the Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity.....and there were smiles all round last night at the Ty UK Collectors' Party, at the Millennium Hotel, Knightsbridge, London.

The hotel is just round the corner from Harrods, and the 200 guests began arriving just before 7pm. On registration they were given a "goody" bag, containing a welcome letter and auction card, a guest badge to mark the occasion, a free bear (Prinz Von Gold), a lapel pin from the Charity, with information about its work.

Mark Swallow, chairman of Ty UK, gave a warm welcome to the guests, and said that he hoped this first event would be the beginning of a continuing association with the Charity in years to come.

The representative from the Charity introduced his team, and told us about the work of the Charity. Great Ormond Street has been in the forefront of developments in child care, and is recognised as a world leader in specialist pediatric care, research and training, and treats over 90,000 children a year from all over the UK. The aim is to be able to increase this by a further 20,000 in the future.

Guests came from all over the UK, as well as the USA and Germany, and during the evening old friendships were renewed...and many new ones made. Many of us were able to meet up with fellow trading partners for the first time. 

The auction items I have already written about were fascinating to see, but there were also items for direct sale....Ty Store pieces, and Asian exclusives not usually for sale in this country, Ty clothing and memorabilia - calendars, catalogues  and other items from the past. There was a raffle, a swap shop, and a quiz memorable for the fact that there was a fine to pay to the Charity if you got a low score....which many of us did!

The Harrods bears were revealed for the first time, and we were told that there would be 1000 Charles boxed and numbered, and 500 Henry bears boxed and limited...very much as the White and Grey Shooting Stars were last year. We were also told that of these a very small number were hand signed by Ty himself, but that they would be random when on sale in the morning. Perhaps the real surprise was the appearance of Digby the Classic....not boxed...but limited to just 2000....so clearly a collectible in his own right!

The highspot of the evening was the auction itself - in the end there were 24 items on offer....and the promise that each auction winner would be given a special certificate which would ensure they were able to purchase a boxed bear the next day at Harrods!  (And yes, I got one!)

The bids mounted quickly, and there were some high prices....but nothing prepared us for the "star" items....the number 1's of both the bears, hand signed by Ty on the certificate and the hangtag. This lot alone raised a winning bid of more than £900!!!!  The prototype number 1's were signed by Mohammed Al Fayed, and also raised a large sum.

After the auction, many stayed on to chat and meet the Ty Team...and this is the time to say how hard they worked and how friendly they were. They had pulled all the stops out for this event, and deserve our praise and grateful thanks for a most memorable evening. I'd like to give a special thanks to Gemma, who clearly had done so much behind the scenes over the last few weeks - she was terrific!

A personal thanks to Mark, for allowing me to be involved....and it is my privilege to be able to tell you that after a quick count at the end, it looks like the amount raised on the night was at least....

£10,000!!!!!!!!   

(or over $19,000 USD if you prefer!!!!!)

What a result!!!   What a night to remember!!!

After the event itself, and indeed throughout today at Harrods, many guests told me how much they had enjoyed it...and how impressed they had been with the Ty UK team. In 16 months the new company has made an impact.....and are clearly keen to continue to develop from where they are now. So, if I may make a little change to a phrase we all know, on behalf of everyone who was there, can I say....

.....from our hearts to theirs.....well done....and thank you so much. We were well impressed!

Here's to the future!

John
the phoenix