Lucky 13 fabulous prizes on offer in The Retas raffle to support MNDA and The Light Fund
Thirteen is definitely going to be lucky for some at Thursday’s glitzy Van Gogh-themed awards ceremony for The Retas as that’s the number of great prizes on offer in the raffle.
The main focus at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel is, of course, on celebrating all the fabulous finalists in the greeting card retailer awards and finding out who has come out tops for 2023, with the lunchtime event being hosted by comedian Jake Lambert.
But, at just £20 for six tickets, or £10 for three, the raffle is an added bonus as everyone who takes part being is in with a chance of winning one of the 13 incredible prizes worth at least £250 each thanks to very generous donors The Art File, GBCC, Pigment, UK Greetings, Ohh Deer, Belly Button Designs, Rosie Made A Thing, Abacus Cards, Carte Blanche Greetings, Hallmark, Woodmansterne, AfroTouch Design, and Lucilla Lavender.
The brochure for the event on Thursday, 6 July, can be read here and features all finalists and raffle prizes, where every single penny raised will be split equally between The Light Fund and MNDA, the Motor Neurone Disease Association.
Since its inception in 2004, industrywide registered charity The Light Fund has raised over £2million and funded more than 200 charity projects helping men, women and children less fortunate than ourselves, all over the world.
MNDA is a cause close to the hearts of greetings folk following the passing of industry legend David Hicks last year and, to add to the incredible fundraising efforts of the 50 people who took part in Look Out London, last week’s Cardgains’ Charity Challenge 25-mile walk round the capital, half the raffle money will go to help improve access to care, research and campaigning for those living with or affected by motor neurone disease.
The annual challenge had a £25,000 target which, for the first time since Cardgains started it charity fundraising events in 1998, had beaten that by the day of the walk on Thursday, 29 June – and the total has now hit more than £42,000 and is still rising.
If anyone still wants to support this incredible effort and isn’t attending The Retas, the main JustGiving link is here – and remember all UK taxpayers can use the Gift Aid option which adds 25% to their donation.
The fantastic raffle prizes up for grabs at The Retas are:
Tracking Vincent
Kindly donated by GBCC
You can follow in Van Gogh’s footsteps with £300 worth of Eurostar vouchers to take you to Paris or Amsterdam, or Lille for that matter!
Gogh for it
Kindly donated by The Art File
Create your own sense of style, just like Vincent did, with £300 to spend at Anthropologie on straw hats, delectable clothes and homewares.
Blooming great
Kindly donated by Pigment
Van Gogh was known for his love of painting flowers, and now you can fill your home with fresh blooms with flower with £250 to spend with Appleyard Florist.
Palette pleasers
Kindly donated by UK Greetings
Vincent’s penchant was for bread, potatoes and absinthe, but you can give your taste buds a real treat by enjoying the gastronomic delights of any of The Ivy Group restaurants with a £250 voucher to savour with friends, family and lovers.
Artistic impressions
Kindly donated by Ohh Deer
Feel inspired by a stay at any of the wonderful Artist Residence boutique hotels, with a £250 voucher, then create your own masterpieces with an Artful: Art School In A Box which ibcludes all you need to be the next Van Gogh!
Scent with love
Kindly donated by Belly Button Designs
You can not only join the Jo Loves’ Scent Artist Club, but also have £250 to spend on the wonderful perfumes and home fragrances from the company created by Jo Malone mbe.
Starry night
Kindly donated by Rosie Made A Thing
A stay at any of the eight delectable boutique hotels in The Pig Group with a £250 voucher to use as you wish. Whether you fancy frolicking by the sea, relishing the rural delights or lapping up city culture, you can enjoy choosing between these wonderful establishments, also revered for their culinary delights.
Sunflowers and irises galore
Kindly donated by Abacus Cards
See your garden as a blank canvas and you can fill it with colour and interest with £250 worth of National Garden Centre vouchers to spend at any of the 14,000 UK garden centres and nurseries.
In’spa’-ration and relaxation
Kindly donated by Carte Blanche Greetings
Let the pressures of life melt away, with a relaxing and luxurious spa getaway with a £250 Spabreaks.com voucher to spend at any of the 700 spa destinations in the UK and overseas.
Teatime treats
Kindly donated by Hallmark
A luxury keepsake wicker hamper filled to the brim with Betty’s delights from champagne to Florentines, Yorkshire gingerbread to fine wine – and, of course, Betty’s Tearoom tea!
Art of the matter
Kindly donated by Woodmansterne
Deciphering art is equally as tricky as being a real codebreaker. Well, here’s your chance to explore Bletchley Park, the once top-secret home of the WWII Codebreakers as well as a stayover at the famous Villiers Hotel, a lovely former coaching inn.
Ear ear
Kindly donated by AfroTouch Design
You can Gogh to the Moulin Rouge or any of the latest theatrical productions, treat yourself to a Van Morrison concert or any fave sports event with £250 worth of Tlcketmaster vouchers to spend as you wish.
Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder
Kindly donated by Lucilla Lavender
You can top up your wine racks, fill up your drinks cabinet and shake up your cocktail menu with €250 worth of Majestic Wine vouchers to spend on whatever tipples take your fancy.
The full list of finalists can be found here, and all The Retas 2023 winners will be announced at the afternoon extravaganza on Thursday, which will be attended by over 400 members of the greeting card community, with a strong roster of sponsors ready to hand out the trophies.
The Retas 2023 sponsors include AfroTouch Design, The Art File, Belly Button Designs, Carte Blanche Greetings, Cath Tate Cards, Danilo, GBCC, Hallmark, Ling Design, Lucilla Lavender, Meraki, Museums & Galleries, Ohh Deer, Paperlink, Paper Salad, Pigment, Progressive Greetings Live, Rosie Made A Thing, Sensations/Express Yourself, Spring Fair/Autumn Fair, UK Greetings, Wendy Jones-Blackett, W Select, and Woodmansterne Publications.
