A spectacular celebration: 21 Together’s anniversary Gala raises £50,616

Our 10th anniversary Gala raised an incredible £50,616 for 21 Together, exceeding our hopes and making the evening a milestone in more ways than one.

Held on Friday 9 October at the Mercure Maidstone Great Danes Hotel, the Greatest Showman-themed celebration brought together supporters, businesses and friends of the charity for an evening of entertainment, generosity and community.

A night to remember

Fire performers and stilt walkers brought a touch of circus magic to the celebrations, while guests embraced the occasion in fantastic black-tie outfits. With wonderful food and so much to celebrate, it was a fitting way to mark 10 years of supporting children and young people with Down’s syndrome and their families across Kent.

Alongside our charity’s anniversary, there was another very special birthday to celebrate: Fergus turned 10! Fergus and his family are part of the 21 Together community, making this shared celebration particularly meaningful.

Thank you to the people who made it possible

Our heartfelt thanks go to Sinead Ainsworth of Ainsworth Civils Engineering, our primary sponsors, whose generosity helped make this extraordinary evening possible. We are deeply grateful for their support and delighted to have shared the celebrations with Sinead and Fergus.

A special thank you also goes to Tatty Planet, who used their talents to capture beautiful photography and videography of the night.

To all the other businesses that sponsored the event, donated raffle prizes or contributed in any way: thank you. Every contribution helped make the night a success.

And to everyone who attended, celebrated with us and gave so generously, we could not have achieved this without you.

An extraordinary total with a lasting impact

Over £50,000 is an incredible result, and we are still taken aback by the generosity shown to our charity.

These funds will help sustain our work supporting children and young people with Down’s syndrome and their families across Kent — helping create opportunities to develop communication skills, build confidence, form friendships and thrive.

For the families we support, access to the right help and a community that understands can make an enormous difference. The generosity shown at our Gala will help us continue that work beyond this anniversary year.

Celebrating 10 years, together

This Gala was a wonderful reminder of the community behind 21 Together. Guests, sponsors, local businesses and creative professionals all played a part in something that surpassed our expectations.

As we celebrate our first decade, we do so with immense gratitude to everyone who has helped us along the way.

Thank you for making our 10th anniversary celebration so special — and for helping us do more for the children, young people and families at the heart of 21 Together.

Meet Sophia 21: A handbag with a story to tell

We are incredibly proud to celebrate Sophia 21, a limited-edition handbag created especially for 21 Together’s 10th anniversary by British luxury handbag designer Anya Sushko, a member of our charity and mum to Sophia, who has Down syndrome. The original bag was generously donated by Anya to our 10th Anniversary Gala on 9 October. Every detail tells a story, from the 21 leather strips representing the extra copy of chromosome 21 to the colours inspired by 21 Together’s branding. The design celebrates individuality, difference and everything that makes each person extraordinary.

Just 10 individually numbered bags will be made, with pre-orders now open. Each bag can be personalised with your own choice of colours and meaningful initials, making every piece truly unique. A contribution from every bag sold will come directly back to 21 Together, helping us continue supporting children and adults with Down syndrome and their families. We are hugely grateful to Anya for creating such a meaningful tribute to our charity and the families at its heart. Discover the story behind Sophia 21 and commission your own limited-edition bag: anya­sushko.com/pages/sophia-21-down-syndrome-limited-edition