Melford Estate
Charity Gala Ball to Be Held at Melford Hall in Support of East Anglia Children’s Hospice
Saturday 5th June 2027
Suffolk Champagne Reception • Fine Dining • Live Entertainment • Charity Auction
Sir William and Lady Hyde Parker welcome you to
An Exceptional Evening in Aid of EACH Children's Hospices
On 5 June 2027, Melford Hall will host a Suffolk Gala Ball in support of East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) with the ambition of raising £250,000 for the Treehouse Hospice in Ipswich.
This is set to be a significant evening for Suffolk, bringing together leading local businesses, supporters and families in one of the county’s most historic settings, to support a cause that has a profound impact across our region.
The Treehouse Hospice provides specialist care, respite and ongoing support for children with life-limiting conditions and their families. It is a place where families are given time, space and expert care during the most challenging moments of their lives.
Demand for its services has now outgrown the existing facilities, and a major redevelopment is underway to ensure more children and families across East Anglia can be supported in the years ahead.
Our intention is for this Gala Ball to be both a celebration of Suffolk, and one of the most meaningful charitable events the county has hosted, highlighting our businesses, our generosity and our shared commitment to the community.
The Hyde Parker family has been part of the Suffolk community for over 240 years, and this event is our way of giving something meaningful back, alongside those who care deeply about this county and the people within it.
The Gala Ball will feature a champagne reception, three-course dinner by Pickled Ginger Catering, live music by the Snap Chaps and Overtures, auction, and casino, offering attendees the chance to enjoy a memorable night while making a meaningful difference. Funds raised will directly support EACH’s specialist nursing care, family support services, and hospice facilities.
Set within one of Suffolk's most historic and breathtaking country estates, the Melford Hall Gala Ball promises a truly spectacular evening of elegance, entertainment and philanthropy.
Guests will enjoy a luxurious drinks reception in the beautiful grounds of Melford Hall, followed by an exquisite three-course dinner, live performances, an exciting charity auction and dancing late into the evening.
Every ticket purchased and every pound raised will help support the incredible work carried out by EACH, providing care and support for children and young people with life-threatening conditions, and their families.
EACH’s range of services includes specialist nursing, therapies and ongoing wellbeing care through all the ups and downs. They provide expert nursing care and short breaks, ensuring one-to-one time for the child at home and in the hospice, and a chance for mums, dads, grandparents and carers to recharge their batteries while having time for themselves, or spending it with their other children, family and friends. Their symptom management nursing service is there with specialist nursing care, advice and support 24 hours a day, seven days a week, wherever the child is being cared for.
Having spent some time at their hospices I cannot reiterate that they are happy, homely places for children, they allow children in need to be children, they are a dependable, supportive and restful space for families to be families.
Surrounded by a brilliant team, families are helped to make every moment count with supportive activities and events, including the simple pleasures of play, water, art, and music.
The Treehouse in Ipswich opened as a bungalow in July 1999, initially as a pilot project only, a Fundraising Appeal was then launched in March 2010 to build a far larger hospice in the town, opening for care in Summer 2011, currently the Treehouse has five bedrooms for children and young people, and accommodation for families to use for overnight stays. Its current facilities include a sensory room, small hydrotherapy pool, music studio, a haven, play areas, sensory garden, a woodland walk and specialist outdoor play equipment. Unfortunately, as we enter 2026 this space has been outgrown and currently the Treehouse is undergoing a transformation to ensure that it can care for more children and their families within our area. This work is vital to those that attend this hospice.
Our mission by hosting a Gala Ball is to not only raise huge necessary funds for the hospice but also to raise awareness of the work that is undertaken at this incredibly important facility in our area.
With the generous support of individuals and businesses within our community, we will be able to continue making a meaningful and lasting impact.
We are proud here at Melford Hall to have been part of the Suffolk Community for 240 years and with that in mind we are looking to ensure that this Gala Ball is a celebration of all things Suffolk, highlighting our extraordinary businesses and industries within the area, whilst in turn supporting the much-needed Children’s Hospice within our area.
The Countdown Begins
Make a Difference Today
Every Donation Creates Precious Moments
Not everyone can attend the Melford Hall Gala Ball, but everyone can help make a difference.
By donating through our JustGiving page, you can directly support the incredible work of East Anglia's Children's Hospices (EACH), helping children and young people with life-threatening conditions and providing vital support to their families when they need it most.
Whether it's £10, £50 or £500, every contribution helps fund specialist care, emotional support, respite services and the creation of precious family memories.
Become a Patron of an Extraordinary Evening
The Hyde Parker family warmly invites distinguished companies and individuals to take their place among the founding patrons of the Melford Hall Gala Ball, an occasion that promises to stand as one of Suffolk's most celebrated charitable gatherings of the decade.
This is a rare opportunity to align your name with a truly historic setting, a profoundly important cause, and an evening that will be remembered long after the last dance.
The Gala Ball brings together Suffolk's leading businesses, estates and philanthropists, and your table will place you firmly amongst them.
"The Hyde Parker family has been woven into the fabric of Suffolk life for over 240 years. We hope you will join us in this endeavour, not merely as sponsors, but as partners in something truly meaningful."
All supporters will be acknowledged within event materials, and every contribution will play a direct role in supporting the expansion of care at the Treehouse Hospice.
We would be very happy to discuss how you might be involved, or to provide further details. Please get in touch at amy@melfordestate.co.uk.
Register for tickets
Once the form is complete, we will contact you to make payment via bank transfer and tickets will be delivered by post.
The Melford Hall Charity Auction & Raffle — In Association with Lacy Scott & Knight
We are delighted to announce that the Charity Auction at the Melford Hall Gala Ball is proudly sponsored by Lacy Scott & Knight, one of East Anglia's most respected and long-established auction houses. Their partnership lends the evening both expertise and distinction, and we are enormously grateful for their generous support.
The auction and raffle promise to be amongst the most exciting highlights of the evening, a spirited and glamorous celebration of generosity, where every bid and every ticket purchased contributes directly to the Treehouse Hospice in Ipswich.
We Are Seeking Exceptional Donations
We are now inviting businesses, estates, artisans and individuals to donate items, experiences and gifts for both the live charity auction and the grand raffle.
Whether you are able to offer a weekend escape at a country house hotel, a private dining experience, a sporting day, a fine work of art, a case of exceptional wine, exclusive access to a cultural event, or something altogether unique, we would be delighted to hear from you.
The most memorable auction lots tell a story. We particularly welcome:
- Experiences — Private tours, sporting days, vineyard visits, shooting parties, cookery with celebrated chefs, hot air balloon flights over Suffolk
- Escapes — Country house stays, vineyard retreats, international travel
- Art, Antiques & Collectables — Works by established or emerging artists, fine jewellery, silver, ceramics
- Gastronomy — Fine wine, hampers, private dining, chef's table evenings
- The Extraordinary — Anything that could not be easily purchased, and that would make a guest's heart race at the prospect of owning it
All donated lots will be acknowledged in the official event programme, on our website, and across our social media channels. Donors will be credited on the evening by our auctioneer, giving your generosity the recognition it deserves in front of Suffolk's finest gathering.
The finest raffle prizes are also warmly welcomed. Every ticket sold on the evening adds to the total raised for EACH's children and families.
To discuss a donation for the auction or raffle, please contact Amy at amy@melfordestate.co.uk
The Melford Hall Gala Ball Charity Auction is proudly presented in association with Lacy Scott & Knight.