St Andrew’s Caledonian Charity Ball 2018
What a fantastic night was had by all at the 2018 edition of the St Andrew’s Caledonian Charity Ball which was held in the Warsaw Marriott Hotel on Saturday 24 November! Almost 300 guests enjoyed an evening of Scottish and Polish culture including dinner featuring many Scottish favourites, followed by a ceilidh with plenty of energetic Scottish Country Dancing.
We thought you might like to remember the night through some selected photos (sponsored by Canon) of the Ball.
The Reception
Guests arriving at the Marriott were greeted by Częstochowa Pipes and Drums before enjoying a glass of bubbly in the Ballroom foyer.
Częstochowa Pipes and Drums welcome guests 
Enjoying a glass of bubbly 
Enjoying a glass of bubbly 
Organising team members Norrie Sinclair, Mark Sutherland and Sandy McMillan 
The Pipe Band leads the company to dinner 
Organisers (L-R) – Mark Sutherland, Norrie Sinclair, Paul Gogolinski, Sandy McMillan, Iain Leyden
Częstochowa Pipes and Drums’ 15th Anniversary
Regular stars of the Ball Częstochowa Pipes and Drums are about to celebrate their 15th Anniversary and to mark the event, St Andrew’s Foundation were delighted to present Pipe Major Tomasz Ujma with a specially commissioned bagpipe pennant to mark the long relationship between the Band and the Caledonian Charity Ball. As always the Band gave a sterling performance during dinner, including a Highland Sword Dance.
Pipe Major Tomasz Ujma (centre) with his new bagpipe pennant. 
Tomasz Ujma recites the Selkirk Grace 
The Pipes and Drums entertain the company during dinner 
Sword Dance
The Guest of Honour
Everyone (well, the Scots anyway) were delighted when our Guest of Honour arrived just in time for dinner!
Fair fa’ your honest, sonsie face,
Great chieftain o’ the pudding-race!
Aboon them a’ yet tak your place,
Painch, tripe, or thairm:
Weel are ye wordy o’a grace
As lang’s me arm.
After the ceremonial entry of the Guest of Honour, the Foundation’s very own “haggis-fed rustic”, Iain Leyden, recited Burns’ Address to a Haggis in great style!
But mark the Rustic, haggis-fed,
The trembling earth resounds his tread.
Clap in his walie nieve a blade,
He’ll mak it whissle;
An’ legs an’ arms, an’ heads will sned,
Like taps o’ trissle.
The Guest of Honour made a stirring entry 
The Haggis – Great chieftan o the pudding race 
Iain Leyden gives the address to the haggis in his own inimitable style 
A wee dram to toast the Guest of Honour!
A taste of Scotland
A sumptious four course dinner with dishes including haggis (of course), cullen skink, lamb, lemon sole and trifle provided a contemporary taste of Scotland. Many thanks to our own Mark Sutherland and the Marriott’s Executive Chef Paweł Kałuski and his team.
Almost 300 guests enjoyed a taste of Scotland 
Haggis is served
Many thanks to Dentons, who sponsored the excellent wines, Marriott who sponsored the soft drinks, and United Beverages who saw that we were well supplied with whisky and vodka!
Entertaining dancing
During the evening we were treated to an exhibition of Polish folk dancing by the Mazowsze Folk Dance troupe. Many thanks also to our friends at Arthur Murray Dance Studio Warsaw who exhibited a tango before getting us all on the floor to learn and dance a paso doble!
Colourful Mazowsze Folk Dancers 
Colourful Mazowsze Folk Dancers 
Energetic Polish folk dancing 
Energetic Polish folk dancing 
Demonstrating the tango 
Arthur Murray Dance Studio demonstrate the tango 
Paso doble led by Arthur Murray dancers 
Paso doble led by Arthur Murray dancers
The Ceilidh Band
Many thanks to David Vernon and Scotia’s Hardy Sons who played their hearts out to see that we enjoyed the ceilidh! Additionally, we were treated to some traditional Scottish songs by Natalia and Victoria Gogolinska.
David Vernon and Scotia’s Hardy Sons 
David Vernon and Scotia’s Hardy Sons 
Natalia and Victoria Gogolinska sing with the band 
Natalia and Victoria Gogolinska sing with the band
Ceilidh dancing
We danced some old favourites during the ceilidh – Gay Gordon’s, Dashing White Sargeant, Strip the Willow, Canadian Barn Dance, St Bernard’s Waltz and many others. We hope you didn’t have too many ‘aches and pains’ on Sunday morning!
Digging deep
Thank you all for digging deep in your sporrans, pockets and purses – the 2018 Edition of the St Andrew’s Caledonian Charity Ball raised PLN 150,000 for charities supporting ill and disabled young people in Poland! Thank you too for the many prizes and auction lots put up by (too numerous to mention individually) individuals and businesses.
Fantastic prizes on display 
Asking you to ‘dig deep’! 
Beautiful artwork from the children of Iskierka! 
The original Goldfinger soundtrack signed by Sean Connery and Shirley Eaton was hotly contested at auction 
The “Braveheart Prize” – a holiday sponsored by Reesco! 
What (some) Scotsmen wear under the kilt? 
Auctioneer Robert Mielżyński auctions a singed Scotland Football shirt 
Presentation of cheque to Fundacja Iskierka
Join us again in 2019
We hope that you had a great time at the Ball and will join us again for the 2019 St Andrew’s Caledonian Charity Ball on 30 November 2019 in the Warsaw Marriott Hotel!