In late June, BNI chapters from across South East London came together to host their first ever Community Charity Day, raising vital funds and awareness for eight grassroots charities supported by the chapters.

Held at Oakley House, the event drew a fantastic turnout from the local community. Families enjoyed food stalls, ice cream, inflatables, tombolas, craft and cake stalls, a grand prize raffle, an open mic, and a debut performance by Rebel Affair. A silent auction, with prizes donated by local businesses and BNI members, also helped raise funds.

To make the event more accessible, organisers included a Special Educational Needs (SEN) Hour, creating a calmer environment for families who needed it.

The day was MC’d by Greg Davies Polaine, who has made charity a key focus of his work with BNI — pairing each chapter with a charity and waiving the usual joining fee to help charities benefit from the BNI network.

The Mayor of Bromley attended and spoke with each charity, showing his support for the collaboration.

The eight charities benefiting from the event were:

Bexley Moorings Project, Bromley Children & Families Forum, CASPA, Child Aid, First Aid 4 All, Holding On Letting Go, Survivors Of aBuse, and YMAC FC.

Speaking of the event, Chris Tuck, CEO of Survivors Of aBuse, said:
“This was a fantastic community event hosted by local grassroots charities, supported by local businesses, for the benefit of local people.”

The fundraising continues — the Silent Auction remains open online for another two weeks, giving everyone the chance to bid and raise even more for the charities.

👉 Place your bids here:
https://bit.ly/4eCO6H8

Plans are already underway for next year’s event, which promises to be even bigger — with more charities joining us!

A big thank you to the volunteers, organisers, donors, entertainers, and attendees — and especially to Greg Davies Polaine for his focus on supporting charities, and to Rebel Affair for making their debut — for helping make the day such a success.