On the evening of 24 November 2006, the cavernous archways supporting the trains that depart from London's Cannon Street Station became the surroundings for our Parody of the Penguins event. Guests were welcomed with a complimentary glass of champagne - provided by our long-term supporters, Laurent-Perrier. With Friday night's final departure rumbling overhead, our guests were encouraged to patronise the buffet kindly served by Flemings of Mayfair. The entertainment included a magician and DJ, the amazing soul funk band Funkify, a silent auction, and the Lucky Dip.
The main fundraising event was the charity auction. When our auctioneer pulled out at the last minute, disaster was averted by Wade Bostock who bravely offered to take on this role. He did a fantastic job in encouraging guests to bid for the great prizes on offer, which included a round of golf with Carol Barnes and a behind the scenes visit to the ITN studios with Jon Snow.
Finally, there was an auction of a painting created by Mark Lawrence, who had perfected a penguin piece of art during the evening. This was eventually sold for £675, adding an extra top-up to our efforts to protect the Galapagos penguin and the other wildlife of these enchanted islands. Our thanks go to Ian Swingland, one of GCT's Patrons, for stepping in as auctioneer for this piece.