A £24,000 raised, triumph for Starlight at The NACFB Gala Dinner 2014
Last night the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge hosted the NACFB’s annual dinner for 700 guests. Entertainment was proved by Alexander Armstrong and the Royal Hen Modern Dance Orchestra.
Marcus Grimshaw, chairman, addressed the gathering and CEO, Adam Tyler moved proceedings along in his customary manner.
A properly serious note was struck when Chris Arnold paid tribute to Stuart Hare who died far too young at 52 having done so much, not only for the NACFB but for commercial finance in general and lighting up so many lives with his wisdom, kindness and joie de vivre. His brother Steve received a posthumous NACFB award. As at the Great Northern Business Money Commercial Finance Dinner in Manchester earlier this year, we all raised a glass and toasted Stuart: he would not have wanted it any other way.
A thoughtful mood also attended the presentation on the work of Starlight, a charity that tries to fulfil the greatest wish of seriously, often terminally, ill children. There were few truly dry eyes in the house afterwards and the gathering responded by raising £24,000 to assist in Starlight’s work: almost double the sum raised last year.
Mindful of the 100th anniversary of the First World War, the NACFB also donated £1 from each of the 700 guests at the Gala Dinner to The Royal British Legion and the sum was generously matched by Hitachi Capital so they benefitted to the tune of £1,400.
Award winners, voted for by the brokers were:
Business Bank of the Year
Lloyds Bank
Commercial Mortgage Lender of the Year
Lloyds Bank
Leasing and Asset Finance Provider of the Year
Investec Asset Finance
Short Term Lender of the Year
MT Finance
Factor & Invoice Discounter of the Year
Aldermore Bank
Motor Vehicle Finance Provider of the Year
Close Brothers Motor Finance
Buy to Let Lender of the Year
B M Solutions
Broker Product Development of the Year
Dragonfly Property Finance
Specialist lender of the Year
Funding Circle
Most Innovative Lender of the Year
Shawbrook Bank