On the 13th of November we hosted a glitzy Casino Royale themed charity event organized by our Sri Lankan owners and their close friends It was a classy black-tie event, with a lively young crowd of successful business owners and professionals. Over 100 attendees came together to bring good energy and good vibes to a good cause. They enjoyed delicious Sri Lankan food, drank Ceylon inspired tropical cocktails, and watched a talented exotic dancer, all accompanied by Baila beats, on a night that aimed to make a huge difference back home.
Owner Haran Thurairajah said, “We managed to raise £15,000 so far by bringing people together and sharing a common purpose. We were amazed at the generosity of our local community, customers, family and friends. It was truly unbelievable what we managed to achieve in such a short time. It just shows the power of our coming together, even at short notice and at this difficult time. I have to thank especially Dr Muki Sritharan, GP Partner of the Farnham Road Medical Group, Dr Asanga Fernando from St. George’s University Hospitals NHSFT, and Deepa Murali, Senior Relationship Manager at HSBC Bank UK for helping me to organise this event and making it a huge success.”
“We will continue to promote our partners and supporters via social media and newsletters to show our appreciation, and we will work together going forward. We would like to give huge thanks to Sri
Lankan airlines , Carlton Leisure, and Ramada Hotel Colombo, for their kind generosity. Our auction package - flights for two with overnight stay in Ramada Colombo at low season - attracted huge interest. We had two finalists who were both willing to pay an astonishing £2600 each, which helped us to raise a total sum of £15000 which will be split equally between the three charities.”
This was our first fundraiser for Sri Lanka, and it is intended to make this an annual event. The funds raised will be shared among the registered charities:
1.
UK Sri Lankan Trauma group, dealing with the ever-increasing suicide rate in the country, with the second highest rate in the world. They want to help and provide support to reduce the number of cases by providing a hotline with trained staff who can help and prevent some of these cases. Also helping to improve mental health and wellbeing in Sri Lanka and the UK
through training and capacity building.
2.
Tamil Aid, an organisation was formed after the Tsunami in 2005. They partner with many local organisations to provide services in education, sports, and to undertake infrastructure work. See www.tamilaid.org
3.
Orhan, an organisation for the rehabilitation of the handicapped. They do some amazing work with children and their families. See https://orhansrilanka.org
We are also grateful to the South London Press newspaper for covering the story: https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/bromley-restaurant-raises-15000-for-sri-lankan-charities
This isn’t the only time we have done our bit for charity recently.
On the 20th of October, we hosted a fundraiser for the Ukraine together with the Mayor of Bromley, Cllr Hannah Gray, and local Rotary Clubs. £1400 was raised for this important cause. The Mayor said, “I would like to offer a massive thank you to the wonderful staff and management of the Copper Ceylon restaurant. It provided the most delicious food and the warmest welcome for the meal, with money raised going to Rotary Great Britain and Ireland's Ukraine appeal. Everyone at Copper Ceylon was fantastic in their assistance with this, and their enthusiasm was very much appreciated.”
Do keep an eye on our Events page for future fundraisers.