BCBN 5th Gala Dinner 2017
In support of the Muslim Fostering Project and BCBN Grant Initiative
The BCBN Board of Trustees would like to extend a heartfelt thank you for your support at this year’s Better Community Business Network event. Over 600 guests attended our 5th annual gala dinner on Monday 13th March at the Great Room Grosvenor House, helping raise an incredible total of £243,000 for the Muslim Fostering Project and BCBN Grant Initiative. View a picture gallery of the evening here.
The Muslim Fostering Project will be established and run by the UK’s leading fostering organisation, The Fostering Network and the prominent community development charity, Mercy Mission UK.
Through the Muslim Fostering Project, the two charities will partner to undertake new research into the extent of the challenges around recruiting and retaining Muslim foster carers and supporting families with Muslim children, as well as delivering community outreach aimed at increasing the number of British Muslim foster families.
The evening included speeches from Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, entertainment by comedian, Paul Chowdhry, BCBN’s grant gallery displaying images of community projects and charitable initiatives we have supported across the UK.
In a video message from the Minister of State for Vulnerable Children and Families, Rt Hon Edward Timpson, who said, ‘The Muslim Fostering Project is an important piece of work and I look forward to engaging with The Fostering Network and Mercy Mission UK as we progress our national fostering stocktake, a fundamental review of fostering in this country.’
Kevin Williams, CEO of The Fostering Network stated, ‘I am grateful to the Better Community Business Network for supporting and funding this Project, but most of all, I am grateful to the foster carers themselves who choose to open their homes to some of society’s most vulnerable children. It is also important that carers are suited to the children they care for and this includes making sure where possible children can be brought up in their own faith. That’s why projects like this play such a crucial role, not only to help grow the population of Muslim foster carers but to also educate those that are not from a Muslim background so that they can provide the right support for Muslim children in their care.’
Without the contributions from our partners, sponsors, guests and volunteers, we would not have been able to achieve what we have, thank you to you all for your cooperation in making a delightful evening that was full of inspiration and generosity.
