There was a full house at the New Saffron on Whitehart Street for Thetford Open Gardens’ first ever curry night, which raised a staggering £1,177 (after a generous customer added a last-minute donation) for St Nicholas Hospice Care.
Over sixty guests, including main event sponsors Lawsons, enjoyed a delicious two-course meal, with entertainment in the form of a blind raffle. Most anticipated prize of the evening was the Bag of Excitement, with the winner recieving a huge round of applause as they unveiled it!
Shipon said he was delighted to support Thetford Open Gardens. “I’ve been wanting to host a large-scale charity event for some time, and Thetford Open Gardens is a really great partner for us. It’s a real honour to be able to support St Nicholas Hospice Care and the people of Thetford.”
The Thetford Open Gardens team said they were immensely grateful to Shipon and his team for their support, “New Saffron have enabled us to raise over £1,000, which will make a huge difference to our final total for St Nic’s.”
Originally in St Giles Lane, Shipon and his team moved to the Whitehart Street restaurant early last year, the larger premises enabling the business to expand. New Saffron has a reputation for producing high-quality food showcasing the vibrant flavours of Indian and Bangladeshi cuisine.
Speaking about the event, one of the guests said, “We absolutely loved it, what a fantastic evening. Well done to all the TOG committee along with Shipon Miah and all the staff. Superb spread, well managed and a huge sum raised!” The blind raffle featured nineteen prizes, one for each year of Thetford Open Gardens. Prizes included a fantastic food hamper donated by Thetford Garden Centre, dinner for two with wine donated by New Saffron, a day trip to Southwold donated by Thetford Coach Services, South Show tickets donated by South Suffolk Agricultural Association, fish and chip vouchers donated by Croxton Fish Bar, and a large scented candle donated by Shadwell.
The TOG team are now working on their next event, their annual Plant Sale on Saturday 10th May. The event is cash only, and tickets for this year’s TOG Day will be on sale alongside Grand Draw tickets.
