statement:

Together, over the past six years, we have raised an incredible £141,503.53 for neonatal units and charities across the North West. What started as a deeply personal journey for our family grew into a community of people passionate about supporting premature babies, their families, and the incredible medical teams who care for them.

In 2019, when Ava and Archie were born at just 25 weeks and we spent 126 days in NICU, our world changed forever. Their strength and resilience opened our eyes to the world of neonatal care and inspired us to do something meaningful to give back. The experiences we had, the families we met, and the stories shared with us shaped this journey in ways we will never forget.

Over the years, thanks to your generosity, the funds raised have helped support a wide range of projects, from installing fingerprint access at Royal Oldham NICU, renovating family bereavement rooms, purchasing breastfeeding chairs, and sponsoring a room at the Ronald McDonald House Manchester for five years, to supporting many other improvements designed to make life a little easier for families during the most difficult times.

However, over the past 12 months - and particularly in recent months - we have found it increasingly difficult to gain clarity on how some of the funds raised have been used, who they have directly benefited, and what the future plans are for the donations made from our most recent event.

As the Charity Ball takes almost a full year to plan and relies heavily on the generosity, time, and commitment of our friends, family, sponsors, suppliers, and supporters, we feel it is incredibly important that we are able to clearly demonstrate the impact of every pound raised. Unfortunately, without that transparency, we no longer feel able to continue hosting the event in the way it deserves.

This decision has not been an easy one.

We want to extend our deepest gratitude to our sponsors, suppliers, volunteers, and everyone involved behind the scenes who helped bring each event to life. These evenings would never have been possible without your dedication and support.

Most importantly, we want to thank Ava and Archie. Their strength, resilience, and determination have been the driving force behind everything we have done. They changed our lives forever and opened our eyes to a world we never knew existed.

To every family we met along the way, and to those who trusted us to share their stories, thank you. You helped build a community where parents could connect, support one another, and feel less alone during their NICU journeys.

Although the Charity Ball is coming to an end, as a family we will continue to support causes close to our hearts. We will remain committed to sponsoring the Ava and Archie Room at the Ronald McDonald House Manchester, and each year on the twins’ birthday we will make a donation to the House.

We hope that by continuing to do this, we can one day show Ava and Archie the impact their story has had, how their journey helped bring people together and supported so many families over the years. The Real family experienced first-hand the comfort that Ronald McDonald House provides when they stayed there while Archie was receiving care in St Mary’s NICU, and it means so much to us to continue supporting a place that helps families stay close to their children during the most difficult times.

While the Charity Ball may be coming to an end, the impact it has made, and the community it created, will always remain something we are incredibly proud of.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for standing with us over the past six years and helping us support the tiniest and most vulnerable babies and their families.