You SHALL go to the ball!

Me and my guest Lizzie 

with Team GB Olivia. 

I could hardly believe it when I got the call from Gold Challenge to say I’d won two tickets to the 2011 BT British Olympic Ball, billed as “an evening in the company of Olympic Champions, Team GB contenders and celebrated stars from the world of sport and entertainment”. 

I’ve never won a competition before in my life (except for about 100th place in which I received a packet of biscuits, through the post...), and I didn’t even realise I’d entered this one, which made it all the more exciting. You may already know that I’m signed up to Gold Challenge – I’ve pledged to run, cycle and row 2012km before the start of the Olympics next year to raise money for The Eve Appeal – and it turned out that signing up over the August bank holiday weekend was a lucky time to do it! 

So on Friday night I swapped my gym kit and Nikes for a ball gown and heels, and joined several other Gold Challenge winners and their guests at the red carpet (which was actually made of gold glitter) in Olympia’s Grand Hall. Having never been to a red carpet event before I was totally overwhelmed with the glitz and glam, but managed to refrain from gawping while walking past all the paparazzi at least... I may have let it drop again when I clocked ice skating legends Torvill and Dean, and rowing heros Matthew Pinsent and Steve Redgrave, and Princess Anne! We even had 2012 synchronized swimmer hopeful Olivia Allison on our table, which made the evening even more special.

Gold Challengers take over the 

Hello photo booth! 

As well as a wonderful four course meal, the evening’s entertainment included Tinchy Stryder (whose backing dancers showed us their moves on the dance floor later on), Stephen Fry, Miranda Hart and Rory Bremner, Denise Lewis, a silent auction (in which bids for olympics tickets packages reached more than three times my annual salary), Tom Jones (he kept his hat on and I’m now a complete convert having seen a live performance) and DJ Lora from Chinawhite, who kept us moving til chucking out time at 3am, whereupon we tumbled into taxis with sore feet, awesome goody bags, and memories of an amazing night with new friends.  

Thank you Gold Challenge!