The wife of an East Anglian Air Ambulance doctor has been recognised with an award for her charity work after hosting a ball to raise money for the service.
Kim Berry organised the ball at Milsoms, Kesgrave, after being inspired by her husband Dr Neil Berry who works for EAAA alongside working as a consultant anaesthetist at Ipswich Hospital.
In 2017, the Ipswich couple’s youngest child started primary school so the mother-of-two decided she wanted to do something to fill her time and with a background in events she decided to put on a ball.
“The EAAA is such an amazing charity and they have to raise a ridiculous amount of money every year so I thought I would do it for them,” she explained.
“I knew I wanted it to be big and if I was going to do a ball I wanted to make the auction prizes big so they’d raise lots of money.
“I’m so humbled by the award and they’re amazing people to work with.”
The 40-year-old held the Sparkle in the Spring Ball at Milsoms Kesgrave in May 2018 and raised more than £19,000 for the charity.
The event included a main auction, a silent auction, a raffle and several other events.
Mrs Berry added: “When it was done everyone was asking if I’d do another one and I thought that it would be a bit much for people.
“So instead I decided I’d do it again in a couple of years and that was when we got to March this year – it got to lockdown and we knew we’d have to push it back so we originally rearranged it for October but now we’ve decided to do it in May 2021 when everyone will have the time and money to attend.”
Phillipa Levy, special events fundraiser at EAAA, said: “All of our supporters are a constant reminder of the fantastic community that we serve and are a true inspiration to us, as without them, our service couldn’t continue.
“The EAAA Inspiration Awards allows us to give something back to that community and share their incredibly inspirational stories. Kim Berry is a truly passionate EAAA supporter and very deserving of this award, which was decided by a public vote.
“We were very much looking forward to her ball this year, and know it will be an incredible event to look forward to next year, when it is safe to go ahead.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here