A wonderful St Nikolaus Gala at Puente Romano Hotel raises funds for charity

TORRENTIAL rain couldn’t dampen the spirits of the 200 plus people who braved the elements to attend the annual St Nikolaus Gala held at the Puente Romano hotel on the evening of Friday November 25 in order to raise funds for Concordia the Marbella charity that helps sufferers of HIV/AIDS and educates young people about its dangers.

Euro Weekly News was proud to be part of this spectacular event which was as ever organised by the charming and tireless Princess Marie-Louise of Prussia who managed to attract so many sponsors for the Gala which is one of the main fundraisers for the charity.

There were some spectacular dresses worn by many glamorous guests and the whole evening was set off by the entertainment from the Coral Polifónica Ciudad de Marbella which presented a range of carols and festive songs, the Marbella Dance School who offered a number of different dances, ranging from Swan Lake to more modern dance and the evening was finished with a performance by popular duo Menchu and Javier who pulled a large number of the guests onto the dance floor.

Speeches were not long or dramatic but delivered in both English and Spanish and those in the audiences applauded Princess Marie-Louise as she explained the philosophy behind the charity, what it was achieving and thanked a gentleman by the name of Hassan a long-serving supporter of the charity who has done so much over the years to assist it.

One of the highlights of the evening was the arrival of St Nicholas accompanied by a number of student volunteers. He wished a traditional yuletide greeting to all present and encouraged the guests to pay to take a wrapped present from a sack in return for €50 with a guarantee that the gift when revealed would be worth at least €50 and could be as much as €1,000 thanks to the generosity of donations from many companies and individuals.

When it was time to leave all had enjoyed a fantastic evening and had learnt a little more about this sometimes overlooked charity which does so much to help those in need.

To discover more about what the charity does and how individuals can help visit www.concordiamarbella.com