This International Women’s Day we attended the Fast Forward 15 Bingo Ball Fundraiser with fabulous drag prince, Alfie Ordinary, at ExCeL London.
Fast Forward 15 is a not-for-profit mentoring scheme for women working in events, hospitality and travel. As we also offer peer mentoring at MindOut, the collaboration was a perfect fit.
A highlight of the evening was the inclusivity discussion panel. Our wonderful Peer Mentoring, Wellbeing and 50+ Project Coordinator, Dawn Hayes (she/her), contributed her LGBTQ allyship expertise along with three other ED&I experts. Musical drag bingo with Alfie Ordinary was a joy, as were the amazing vocals by entertainer Segun.
There was also an auction and raffle in aid of LGBTQ mental health and the Fast Forward 15 mentoring scheme. We’re so thrilled to announce the night fundraised over £10,000 with half of the proceeds going to MindOut!
It was such a pleasure to spend International Women’s Day with the Fast Forward 15 team, and we’re so thankful to have been selected as their charity partner for this year’s Bingo Ball.
You might expect event folks to put on a fantastic fundraiser, but we’re still in awe of how well the night went!
‘Every year the Fast Forward 15 mentee cohort host a charity event for a cause of their choosing. This year’s mentees all felt passionate about fundraising for a charity that focuses on mental health.
While looking into mental health support charities and seeing the disproportionate mental health stats affecting the LGBTQ+ community, the mentees came across MindOut and could see how vital the work they do is.
It was also apparent how much MindOut’s values align with a lot of Fast Forward 15’s, such as Inclusivity, Inspiration, Education and Support.
The mentees wanted to use The Bingo Ball event to not only promote the fantastic work that MindOut do, and to fundraise for them, but also to amplify the voices and experiences of those within the LGBT+ community.
Organising this event in aid of MindOut has been incredible. Malaika has been a joy to work with and the Fast Forward 15 mentees are so pleased that the money The Bingo Ball raised will make such a big difference to the brilliant and essential support services MindOut provide.’
– Amber May (Fast Forward 15 mentee)