November 28th 2015
After losing our beloved Josh in January 2013 to an undiagnosed heart condition, the Merrick family, with the help of their wonderful friends have become dedicated to raising funds and awareness for C.R.Y and the Josh Merrick memorial fund as a lasting legacy to the kindest, craziest and the most inspirational person we all loved.
Following the great success of the Pink Pig and Prosecco Ball in May 2014 where we raised an amazing £12,500 and after numerous requests for another fundraiser to be arranged, we rose to the challenge and decided to organise the next big event. We decided to base the theme on Josh’s favourite Christmas song ‘The Pogues – Fairytale of New York’ which proved to be the best decision ever!
After months of careful planning and preparation the stage was set for what was to be an amazing evening. The guests arrived in their droves adorned in all their finery and were greeted on arrival with a specially created prosecco cocktail ‘The Swinging Sinatra’. They then took to the red carpet that led them to the main room, passing the iconic statue of liberty on the way. The room that was spectacularly decorated in black and gold with thousands of twinkling lights, made for a fabulous backdrop as excited crowds gathered for a party like no other in the city that never sleeps.
The event was officially opened by Josh’s mum and dad, Karen and Andrew. The CRY Beaten video was then aired and a special video of Josh himself that had been created especially for the events followed. The DJ started up with an array of music genres which soon had the guests in the party mood. No sooner had the music started, the night came to an abrupt halt as two police officers approached the D.J. stand and announced that there had been complaints about the noise level. There was a hush about the room and people were momentarily shocked until the ‘Policemen’ burst into song with their opening number, Uptown Funk! They belted out countless hits whilst showing off their moves and in no time the dancefloor was packed with happy party people.
Guests were able to indulge in the sweet delights of the Broadway inspired candy buffet, take a wintery stroll and a seat in a snowy Central Park and hail a New York Taxi. But by far, one of the most popular attractions of the night was the ‘New York’ ice sculpture vodka luge. Guests waited excitedly with their iced shot glasses in hand to catch the freezing flavoured vodka that flowed through the ice sculpture and into their glass. It seemed everyone from 18 to 80 indulged in the unique experience (A few bad heads the next morning!).
Once refuelled by the tantalising tastes of New York, the compare opened up the much awaited auction. Guests had the opportunity to bid on some amazing prizes which included memorabilia from Manchester City, United and Sale Sharks, flying lessons, a hover board and a 7 night stay in a holiday condo on the beach, to name but a few. The guests dug deep and through their generosity we managed to raise many thousands on the auction alone! We were also inundated with amazing raffle prizes which boosted our funds even further!
The highlight of the night was when X-Factor contestant and family friend, James Collins and the very talented Amy Quinn took on the role of Pogues singer Shane MacGowan and Kirsty MacColl, belting out their own rendition of ‘Fairytale of New York’. As the crowd joined in singing Josh’s favourite song the snow began to fall on the guests of New York.
We would like to send out a huge thank you to the whole of the Didsbury community and beyond for the generosity and support we have received and together we raised an amazing £11,198. All the money we have raised will help to keep young hearts beating.
