On Saturday 17th June, parents and teachers alike discovered their inner seventies groove and boogied in the wonderland of the Hazlegroovy Ball, celebrating 70 years of the school and shedding inhibitions left, right and centre.

The event was supported and sponsored by School Fees Investment Advisers Ltd (SFIA), the school fees planning specialists. In attendance, representing SFIA, was David Etches, an independent financial planner who lives in the area.

David reports:

“School Fees Investment Advisers Ltd were invited by Hazlegrove Prep School to be the main sponsors for their 70th Anniversary Hazlegroovy Ball. I was delighted to attend and we all had a groovy time.“

“Raising money for a Somerset-based charity, Promise Works, which provides mentors for vulnerable children on the edge of social care, was the focus of the event and £30,000 was raised, some from SFIA and most during a raucous promises auction. It was just as well there were TV monitors all around the marquee and mini iPads on each table to follow the bidding.

“SFIA has close links with schools developed over many years. A bespoke school fees planning service can also be fun.”

Picking up the story is Kate Robinson, a parent at Hazlegrove Prep.*

“The sun shone down, flashing off aviator sunglasses and bringing glitter to life as various punks, afro wigs, hippies, rock stars, tennis players and even an emu strutted their stuff. The champagne reception served as a game of “guess who” as various outfits made their way towards the marquee. Some were more conservative than others, though nearly everyone had a touch of seventies magic dust – not least our esteemed Headmaster, glittering in gold-dust as David Bowie.”

“Delicious and substantial canapés, courtesy of Victoria Blashford-Snell, were served, followed by a three course dinner, during which an early game of Heads and Tails sorted winners from losers. The auction followed, with enthusiastic bidding from both the parent and teacher body raising the total higher each time. Some £30,000 was raised on the night, in aid of Promise Works, a local Somerset charity which provides a mentoring service to vulnerable and disadvantaged young people in the area. Highlights of the auction included a recorded video message from Paddington 2 star Hugh Bonneville with tickets to his film premiere, a donation of 2 flights to New York from Richard Branson, both courtesy of Cindy Galpin, and a selection of exotic and desirable holiday options, sports packages and many other fun lots. A gin cocktail bar kept everyone hydrated on a hot night and the incredible band “Uncle Funk and the Boogie Wonderband” wowed the crowd with their brilliant 70’s repertoire and ensured many interesting shapes were thrown on the dancefloor until the early hours.”

SFIA are the longest established school fees planning specialists in the UK, having originally formed in 1952. They have a long-lasting association with hundreds of independent schools up and down the country. As well as making independent school fees more affordable, they also help with college fees planning.

*Extracts from the Hazlegrove Prep website