Sir Ian McKellen and Boy George to attend benefit evening for gay homeless charity
Sir Ian McKellen will appear at a benefit evening for the Albert Kennedy Trust (AKT) on Sunday evening.
The actor and TV presenter and star of Shameless Anthony Crank will be hosting an auction, with lots of prizes including an oil portrait of Sir Ian by the artist Anthony Lawrence.
The AKT is working with social networking site Jake and personal assistant services provider Quintessentially to host the star-studded benefit evening for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender young people in difficulties at the House of St Barnabus, Soho.
The event marks both the 20th anniversary of the trust, and the tenth anniversary of Jake, which now claims to be the world’s largest community of gay professionals with over 30,000 members.
Other celebrities in attendance include Boy George and Fat Tony, who will be providing live DJ sets.
Jonathan Penny, fundraising and communications officer for AKT, said: “This is a one-off opportunity to party in the company of celebrities at an exclusive lounge venue and help raise funds for young gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered young people who are experiencing homelessness, or living in a hostile environment. We are delighted that Jake and Quintessentially Soho have chosen to join forces to make this special event possible.”
“Because of the great homophobic prejudice that still exists in society, gay and lesbian young people have a 40 per cent greater risk of experiencing homelessness than their straight counterparts. Not only is homelessness soul-destroying, it exposes young people to risk of violence and sexual abuse.”
Penny added: “The burden on Albert Kennedy Trust is increasing, and our London and Manchester offices receive more calls from distraught young people than ever before. Guests attending this event will be helping our network of carers and mentors provide safe housing and a supportive environment for young people who otherwise would be in grave danger.”
For more information on this event including ticket enquiries and the guest list please contact: Craig Solomon, operations director at Jake TM, [email protected] 020 7268 5911.
For more information on how to place a bid for an auction lot of you are unable to attend, please call Jonathan Penny on 020 7831 6562 or e-mail [email protected]
