Welcome

The Friends of Sutton Valence cordially invite you to the Leavers’ Ball, hosted in a marquee overlooking the School, on Saturday 2nd July 2022. Having not been able to hold the Ball for the last two years, this promises to be a fantastic opportunity for the Upper Sixth, parents, past parents, staff and Old Suttonians to mark the end of the academic year and celebrate with our leavers. For this year, we are delighted to announce that we will be partnering with The Curious Eatery, the renowned local eatery and caterer, who have a fantastic menu planned for the evening. 

Tickets are priced at £85.00 each and should be purchased by Tuesday 31st May 2022. All attendees, including leavers, need to purchase tickets. Guests may choose to organise a table of ten with friends or to buy individual tickets, in which case we are very happy to arrange the tables on their behalf. If parents would like to book individually, but know who they would like to be sat with, there is the option to include that information as part of your booking. 

The Ball, whilst focused upon the current Upper Sixth and their parents, has always been open to the wider School community and this year is no different. We would be delighted to welcome parents from other year groups within the School to join in the celebrations. Likewise, we would be pleased to welcome staff and Old Suttonians, as well as other community members. Due to the enforced cancellation of the last two years' Leavers’ Balls, this year’s event will take on even greater significance as it will be a chance to celebrate with students from these two cohorts of leavers and their respective parents as well. With both year groups enduring such challenging conclusions to their time at the School, this promises to be a real celebration and an opportunity for them to say farewell as well.

In the first instance, booking is open to the Upper Sixth leavers and their parents exclusively, before we open up the registration process to other guests. As an incentive for early booking, for the first three complete tables to purchase tickets, we will offer two free bottles of wine.

We do hope that you can join us for what promises to be a fantastic and memorable Leavers’ Ball.  

Booking Instructions

The booking process is now open. You are able to book up to ten tickets at any one time (should you wish to book an entire table). To book any tickets please follow the following booking instructions:

• All Bookings - In order to book any tickets, you will need an existing online account on SVS Foundation Connect. To register on the site, please click here.
• Booking an individual ticket for yourself - Having registered on SVS Foundation Connect, please click on the button below and complete the mandatory booking fields. If you would like to be sat on a table with friends, please complete the 'who would you like to be sat with' field and we will add you to the table requested, wherever possible. 
• Booking tickets for a group, or table - Having registered on SVS Foundation Connect, please click on the button below and complete the mandatory booking fields. As you are booking tickets for more than just yourself, please note that the booking system is set up so that the first ticket will always be allocated to you. As such, if you are booking a total of three tickets, the system will only request the details of your two guests, rather than all three of you. Please ensure that you only provide the names of your guests, when prompted to do so (rather than providing your own details again). Please also ensure that you do not use your own email address for any of your guests - the booking system requires guest email addresses to be unique. This allows us to provide event updates to everyone attending, rather than just the individual who has booked.
• Booking a single ticket on behalf of your son/daughter - If you are only booking for your son or daughter and are not intending on purchasing a ticket for yourself, we would ask that you book with your details and then let us know using the 'who would you like to be sat with' field that the ticket is for your son or daughter.

Booking Terms

Please note the following terms:

• All tickets for the Leavers' Ball, including leavers’ tickets, are priced at £85.00 per person, which includes a welcome drink, three-course meal and evening entertainment;
• All ticket holders should be over 18 on the date of the Ball. The only exemption is for those in the Upper Sixth who are yet to turn 18;
• In the eventuality that we are forced to cancel the Ball, we will provide full refunds for all tickets purchased;
• In the event that you are unable to attend the Ball, we would ask that you inform us by Friday 17th June 2022. We will then issue a full refund. Due to commitments to third party suppliers, we are unable to offer refunds after that date.

Event FAQs

What is the dress code?

The event is black tie. For men, we would ask that attendees wear dinner suits and for women, an evening or cocktail dress or gown.

What are the timings for the evening?

The Ball is due to start with welcome drinks outside the marquee (weather permitting) at 7.00pm. Guests will then be called into the marquee shortly before 8.00pm, when dinner will be served. Dancing will follow, with carriages at 1.00am.

Which entrance to the School should we use?

We would ask that all guests arrive via the Cornwallis entrance. If you are driving, please park in the Cornwallis car park. You are welcome to leave your car on site overnight, but please note that the School accepts no liability for any loss or damage incurred.

We have not received any tickets, what should we bring on the evening?

We are not using tickets this year, rather, the security staff will be working from a guest list on the night.

Will there be a cash bar?

There are two! Both bars are able to accept cash or contactless card payments. Our main bar will offer a range of beers, cider, wine, prosecco and soft drinks throughout the evening. We will also be hosting a gin bar, which will serve as the evening’s fundraiser, with profits supporting the Tom Lazarides (2018 C) fund.

Can we pre-order wine for our table?

Yes. We will be emailing all guests in due course with a wine list to allow you to pre-order drinks to be on your table when you arrive on the night.

Am I able to help with the event?

The Ball Committee would be delighted to receive help with decorating the marquee on Friday 1st July. As the School’s Sports Day will also be held on site that day, you are more than welcome to dip in and out, whenever you are not spectating at the Athletics track. If you are able to help, please email a member of the Ball Committee so they have a rough idea of numbers.

2022 Ball Committee

We are hugely grateful for all of the work being done by this year's Ball Committee to ensure that the event is a success. The Leavers' Ball is traditionally the biggest on-site event that we host and, as such, involves a huge amount of work behind the scenes by those listed below.

In addition to the Committee, the Ball is run as a community, non-profit event and, as such, we would welcome any contributions you may be able to provide. Whether it be help with setup, stock for our gin bar, floristry, or any other event services, we would be grateful for your involvement and would invite you to get in touch with the Committee.

Mrs Jackie Browning (Chair of the Friends of SVS) - jackiebrowning@live.com
Mrs Sally Barr - sally.barr401@btinternet.com
Mrs Sarah Connell - connellevents@outlook.com
Mrs Jane Farrell - farrellje@svs.org.uk
Mrs Mel Russell - meljrussell@aol.com

For any ticket booking queries or questions relating to SVS Foundation Connect, please contact Will Radford, SVS Director of External Relations at radfordw@svs.org.uk.