Cocktail masterclass in memory of Graham Ward for Meningitis Now
On 9 November 2019, news broke that Bath Spa University student Graham Ward had tragically lost his life to bacterial MenB meningitis
The co-founder of a clothing brand called Induced Euphoria, 20-year-old Graham was in his final year of a Business and Management degree when he was rushed to hospital and passed away shortly afterwards.
In his memory, towards the end of last year Induced Euphoria raised an incredible £2,400 for Meningitis Now by selling 180 sweatshirts that were designed especially to honour his life.
Now, one year on, five of Graham’s fellow Business and Management students are planning a cocktail masterclass and musical entertainment to raise vital funds for Meningitis Now in Graham’s memory. Student and event co-ordinator Ciara O’Neill tells us more.
“We are five Bath Spa University final year Business and Management students: Ciara O’Neill, Lily Smith, Rebekah Williams, Sarah Harding and Tommy Balchin. As part of our course we have been given the task of creating and hosting an event. Sounds easy, right? Well, with Covid-19 restrictions we thought it would be safest for everyone if we hosted our event virtually.
(Clockwise from top left: Sarah, Lilly, Tommy, Ciara and Sarah)
Vibrant and energetic
“Very early on in the brainstorming process we knew we wanted to raise money for charity, and exactly who for.
“On Friday 15 January 2021 at 19:45 we will be hosting the Near & Far Cocktail Evening - an evening comprising a cocktail masterclass, followed by vibrant, energetic musical entertainment to provide you with some well-known hits to sing along to at home (or wherever you’re joining us from).
“To kick off the evening, our professional mixologist will show you how to make five varying cocktails, all of which require minimum ingredients. Don’t worry, we’ll send you the small list of ingredients you’ll need in advance (but we imagine you’ll have a lot of this at home already).
Prevent others from losing a loved one
“We have decided to donate all profits from our efforts to Meningitis Now as it is a charity very close to our hearts as Bath Spa University students. Sadly, on 9 November 2019, our lovely friend and Third Year BSU Business student, Graham Ward, lost his fight to MenB meningitis. After feeling unwell for only a few days and believing he had a stomach bug, we lost Graham to this horrendous illness at the young age of 20. With his 1 year anniversary approaching, it is our hope that in Graham’s memory this event will raise awareness and prevent others from losing a loved one.
“By making just a £5 donation through our Crowdfunder page, not only will you be supporting Meningitis Now’s vision of a future where no-one in the UK loses their life to meningitis and everyone affected gets the support they need to rebuild their lives, but it will also secure your ticket to this exciting fundraising event.
“As a bright and ambitious young man, Graham was co-founder of the clothing brand Induced Euphoria. To support our fundraising efforts, Induced Euphoria are re-launching their GW line and adding a brand new colour to partner with Near & Far Cocktail Evening, with all proceeds going to Meningitis Now. If you would like to purchase one of these limited edition jumpers, you can do so by donating a minimum of £30 on the “Reward” tab, on the right hand side of our Crowdfunder page.
How you can help
“For updates and information, you can follow our pages on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
“If you would like to join us on 15 January, please visit www.crowdfunder.co.uk/cocktailevening and donate a minimum of £5 through the "Receive the event link" Reward tab to be granted access to the event’s link. We will send you the link for the event (on the day) and the ingredients required to take part in the cocktail masterclass (in advance) to the email address you have signed up to the crowdfunder with.
“Organising this fundraiser during the current restrictions, we have found ourselves running into more barriers than usual. So, if you have any services you think could help and would like to get involved, or have any questions, please feel free to email us at nearandfarcocktails@gmail.com.”
