Reparations are well under way for this year's Oxford Charity Ball which will raise thousands of pounds to help local charities, writes Zahra Akkerhuys.

The event, which has become one of the highlights of the city's social calendar, will take place on June 15, at the Oxford Thames Four Pillars Hotel, Sandford-on-Thames.

The ball is being organised by the Oxford Isis Rotary Club and is expected to raise more than £20,000.

The three charities set to benefit from the fundraising event are:

Life Education Oxfordshire, which runs an on-going campaign teaching youngsters about the dangers of drugs and alcohol.

The charity already runs a mobile classroom which is taken to primary schools across the county to help youngsters understand how important it is that they look after their bodies and watch what they consume.

Children are taught how to cope with peer pressure if they are being encouraged to get involved with drugs.

The charity's one mobile classroom visited 55 schools last year but organisers want a second one on the road. Cash raised by the Oxford Charity Ball will be used to buy an audio-visual unit for the new vehicle.

The Kingwood Trust, based in Henley-on-Thames, provides support for people with autism.

The trust, which also runs a half-way house for people in Abingdon, needs money for a new minibus.

Cash raised at the ball will go towards the cost of the bus.

The Porch Steppin' Stone Centre, a new day centre due to open in June, will be based in Magdalen Road, Oxford, with facilities to aid up to 100 homeless people a day.

Cash from the proceeds of the charity ball will help pay for a kitchen in the new centre.

Last year the ball raised £10,600 for Vale House Alzheimer's Home, in Botley, and £6,500 for Luther Street Medical Centre, in Oxford's city centre.

The centre provides medical help for homeless people and the cash paid for two motorised bicycles, which are equipped with medical equipment.

The machines mean doctors on emergency callouts can reach patients in minutes, instead of being stuck in city centre traffic jams.

Practice manager Fiona Grove says: "The money given to us following the charity ball made a huge difference. There are so many places that you can't get to in a car, especially given the one-way system in the city. The bikes have meant that the doctors don't have to waste time sitting in a traffic jam when they're on their way to an emergency."

President-elect for the Isis Rotary Club, Malcolm Fearn, says: "We feel it is important for people who attend the ball or donate an item for raffle to see a return on their money.

"We have chosen to support very specific projects rather than just giving money to put it into a general pot."

Guests at the ball will be served a five-course meal and can dance to music played by the James Duke Big Band. Tickets are being sold at £50 each, or £500 for a table of ten.

This year's event is being sponsored by the Oxford Mail, Fox FM, Oxfordshire Chamber of Commerce, Oxford City Council and Four Pillars Hotels.

**For details about the event call Malcolm Fearn on 01865 862776 or email him.

First published February 16, 2001