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The Friends of Sutton Valence cordially invite you to the Leavers’ Ball, hosted in a marquee overlooking the School, on Saturday 29th June 2024. After the success of last couple of events, we are looking forward to once again offering our Upper Sixth, parents, past parents, staff and Old Suttonians the opportunity to mark the end of the academic year and celebrate in style. For this year, we will be partnering with The Kitchen of Kent, the renowned local caterer, who have a fantastic menu planned for the evening.
Tickets are priced at £90.00 each and should be purchased by Friday 31st May 2024. The ticket price includes welcome drinks, a three-course meal and an evening of entertainment including a DJ and fireworks. 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. We do hope that you can join us for what promises to be a fantastic and memorable Leavers’ Ball.
The booking process is now open using the booking link at the bottom of this page. 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.
Please note the following terms:
To give you a feel for what to expect at this year's Ball, please click on the news stories at the bottom of this page to view photos from previous events. Please note that you will need to be logged in to SVS Foundation Connect in order to view the images.
The event is black tie. Please refer to the photos of past events (within the news stories below) as a guide for what to wear.
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.
Can I cancel my booking?
We will issue a full refund up until Saturday 8th June 2024 and, thereafter, we are only be able to offer a part refund (minus the cost of catering) as we are required to provide numbers to our caterers three weeks prior to the event and are unable to receive a refund from them after that point.
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.
Can we pre-order wine for our table?
Yes. Our bar provider has provided an online portal to allow you to pre-order drinks to then be on your table when you arrive on the night. Please note that wine should not be pre-ordered before Ball tickets have been purchased.
Am I able to help with the event?
The Ball Committee would be delighted to receive help with decorating the marquee on Friday 28th June 2024. 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.
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, 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 - jefarrell70@icloud.com
Mrs Melanie Russell - meljrussell@aol.com
Mrs Vanessa Taylor - vanessaaware79@gmail.com
For any ticket booking queries or questions relating to SVS Foundation Connect, please contact Will Radford, SVS Director of Admissions and Development at radfordw@svs.org.uk.