Sophie’s Legacy proudly hosted its Charity Ball on Friday 20th March, held at the Hilton in Southampton. The event hosted 370 people - bringing together supporters, partners, and community leaders for an evening dedicated to raising vital funds for the charity.
The event’s theme was “Greatest Show Charity Ball” and invited guests to take part in a raffle and auction, as well as enjoy a delicious three course meal and live performances. Overall the event raised over £60,000, which will now be used to support its mission of working with hospitals to improve care for children receiving treatment and support their families.
The charity was created in memory of Sophie Fairall and the legacy of change she wanted to create. Sophie had just turned 9 years old when she was diagnosed with a rare form of childhood cancer. During her treatment, she endured nine rounds of intense chemotherapy and seven weeks of radiotherapy.
Sophie never managed to get into remission and in June 2021, after only eight weeks on a programme of maintenance chemotherapy, she relapsed. With no treatment options left Sophie passed away aged 10. Her time in hospital led her to wanting several things in the healthcare system changing and this is now her legacy - in memory of a remarkable young girl who touched so many lives.
The charity’s commitments include:
Play specialist seven days a week in hospitals
Improvements to food for children in hospital
For parents to be fed when staying with their child
Health professionals to be trained in childhood cancer
Increase funding in childhood cancer research
Charlotte Fairall, Founder of Sophie’s Legacy and Sophie’s Mum, said: “Our charity ball was an amazing event. Every person in the room helped move us closer to meeting our commitments. These are so important to me and we are so grateful for everyone who continues to stand with us.”
This year’s event was supported by generous sponsors, including Medirest, the healthcare sector of Compass Group UK & Ireland – which was a Gold Tier sponsor for 2026.
Russell Blake, MD, Healthcare – Compass Group UK & Ireland: “We are very proud of our continued work with Sophie’s Legacy. They are impacting lives every day and we were pleased to be able to play a part in their charity ball, which raised an impressive amount of vital funds for the organisation.”
For more information about the charity visit - The legacy - Sophie's Legacy
