Din l-Art Ħelwa's autumn fund-raising Gala Dinner, now an established night in our social calendar, was held at a tightly packed Phoenicia Ballroom, always an elegant and classic backdrop to any soiree'. An fun-packed and glamorous evening was graced by many friends and members of Din l-Art Ħelwa, who dressed for the occasion in black tie. Young fashion designer Luke Azzopardi embellished the evening with many of his fabulously romantic ball gowns adorning several of his friends. A fund-raising auction, a silent auction and a raffle were preceded by a pre-dinner champagne reception held on the adjacent Maryanski Terrace where many beautiful objets d'art generously donated by leading artists were on display. The works which went under the hammer during the course of the evening included paintings and sculptures by Pawl Carbonaro, John Martin Borg, Zoe Chomarat, Andrew Micallef, Arnold Sultana, Alexia Coppini, Joseph Xuereb, Ganni Pace and Amelia Saint George.
Professor Alex Torpiano, executive president of Din l-Art Ħelwa and Dr Gaby Torpiano, officials and council members of Din l-Art Ħelwa, greeted guests together with the main event organisers of the evening, Joe Farrugia and his wife Christine.
The event and auctions were professionally compèred by Thomas Camilleri, a comedian and one of Malta's top actors and the duo of Michael Manduca on the keyboard and singer Romina Mamo set the tempo with their entertaining music.
Professor Torpiano thanked those present for their participation and generosity saying that continuous funds were needed to keep up activity in the protection of the environment and in the organization of many restoration projects. He particularly thanked the corporate sponsors who attended for helping to boost the evening with their participation: namely APS Bank plc, AX Group, Bank of Valletta plc, Deloitte Malta, Plaza Centres plc, PwC Malta while BNF Bank plc and Sparkasse Bank Malta plc sent a handsome donation in support of the event. He partiularly thanked council member Joe Farrugia and the events team of volunteers and office staff at Din l-Art Ħelwa for having put together such an entertaining evening.
Always raising much interest were the weekend breaks and experiences on offer for the silent auction. These were generously donated by Hotel Quirinale - Rome; the Grand Hotel Corinthia - Prague; The Landmark - London; La Scibina Resort - Sicily and the Hotel Football - Manchester; The Manoel Theatre, Sanya Eco Spa and Gym, Malta Sailing Charter, while generous gifts and vouchers from Azzopardi Jewellers, Barracuda Restaurant, Giuseppi's Restaurant, Melita Health & Beauty, St Julians, Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti and Charles de Giorgio made for a most exciting raffle.
Din l-Art Ħelwa would like to acknowledge also the generous support of Dr John Vassallo and Dr Marianne Noll, Atelier Michael Tabone, Philippe Martinet Fine Wines and Flowers and Company at Green Suppliers for their donations towards the many fine wines and floral decorations that made the evening a resounding success.