I launched Cocktails in Care Homes whilst at Magic Me in 2010 as a small pilot project. The concept is simple: volunteers attend a monthly, evening cocktail party in a care home to have a chat and drink with the residents. The project soon caught the publics attention after featuring in the Evening Standard and we were flooded with volunteer requests. We responded to this growing interest by developing the project and rolling it out across East, North and Southeast London over three years with a development grant from the Henry Smith Charity. In 2014 we developed a large three year growth plan.

One of the things that makes the project so successful is the corporate sponsorship deals I brokered:

• John Lewis design and donate decorations, working with the Stratford Visual Merchandise team and the Oxford Street Haberdashers.
• Floral Angels donate bespoke floral arrangements left over from corporate events and weddings.
• Bank of England, Schroders, Standard Chartered bring volunteers to the parties and make donations.
• Clifford Chance LLP bring volunteers to the parties, host quarterly craft clubs with staff and make decorations and organise quarterly tea parties at their offices for residents of all homes we work with.