Well….I need to say something…but what can I say, I think I will let the pictures from the launch of World Hunger Day speak for themselves – they say a picture paints a thousand words. There are many thank yous, too. Please take some time to read through them all and realise just how many people have been involved in making this day the stunning success that it was and the platform to launch so many other opportunities to banish hunger and poverty from this world ‘for good’.
Dionne Warwick, Tim Holder, Rod Natkiel and The Hunger Project UK would like to thank, most sincerely, the following without whom the launch of the first World Hunger Day – Empowering People. Ending Hunger – would not have been possible:
Ambassador Theatre Group, especially Rosemary Squire
Anglo Beef Processors
American Airlines and Citi for their outstandingly generous support
Apollo Victoria Theatre, especially Ben Phillips
BrandMe, especially Steve Booth. Elsa Tye and Matthew Evans
Bovis Lend Lease, especially Julian Daniel
Chris Burke and Danielle Grandados at WME, USA
Cleanslate Communications
Diversity Marketplace
English National Ballet
Eye PR, especially Kerry Milliken and Lisa Moore
Nick Fiveash
The Goring Hotel, especially Graham Copeman
Caroline Hill at Chill
Kerry Foods
Steve Leber and Deborah Long at New Age Producers Group Inc., USA
Jane Lehrer
JMJ Associates
Miranda Leslau PR
Michael McCabe Productions, especially Michael McCabe
Pernod Ricard
Barbara Rose at Barbara Rose Entertainment, USA
The Royal Ballet, especially Dame Monica Mason DBE, OBE
Jo Simmons at Jongleurs Comedy Ltd.
SoulMusic.com, especially David Nathan
Southbank Sinfonia, especially Michael Berman, Simon Over and Justin Lee
Yvonne White at Rev. The Session Agency
All at The Metro, The Guardian, The Times and The Evening Standard
Westlake Pharmacy for the financial support they gave to The World Hunger Day Briefing. Rajinder Mann for producing the most beautiful celebration cake (complete with a mini Dionne in icing) and to Ravi Jain and Depeek Dogra at Mayanews for providing advertising support for the gala concert.
Additional Personal Thanks from Tim Holder, Country Director, The Hunger Project UK to:
Dionne Warwick, for her continued support and inspiration every step of the way. The consumate performer, a simply unique and perfect Ambassador, host and musical legend. To all the performers for being absolutely outstanding on every level – Natalie Cole, Elaine Paige OBE, Mica Paris, Simon Keenlyside, Steven McRae, Louise Dearman, Rachel Tucker, Jumoké Fashola, David Elliott, the London Community Gospel Choir, Southbank Sinfonia, Adjoa (for her wonderful voice at the Aftershow Party) and the amazingly talented Musical Directors and Musicans who played for the evening, Kathy Rubbicco (for Ms Warwick and MANY others!!), Gail Deadrick (for Ms Cole), Chris Egan (for Ms Paige), Travis Cole (for LCGC), Simon Over (for Southbank Sinfonia who EVERYONE agreed were just about the finest Orchestra anyone could ever hope to work with, STUNNING!!) and Dionne’s incredible band of musicians John Shrock, William Hunter, Wade Short, Jeffrey Lewis and Renato Pereira. Tony Hatch – a musical 
legend and an oustanding Music Consultant who created so many of the orchestrations for the evening. A special thank you to all the production, lighting, sound, technical and stage crew from The Royal Opera House, Rod Natkiel Associates, Dionne Warwick’s Company and The Company of Wicked. The fact that the evening ran so very smoothly is absolutely down to the combination of extraordinary talents both on stage, off stage, back and before stage.
Rod Natkiel, for your commitment to delivering a high quality production on a miniscule budget;
Judith and Geoff Batchelar, you have both been amazing at all hours of the day and night – thanks for opening doors and sharing your infinite wisdom and experience; Angela Rippon OBE, a great friend to The Hunger Project UK; Dionne Warwick, Mica Paris and Jumoké Fashola for joining us on our PR journey: we had fun and achieved great things! Bob Carnell and Andrew Cracknell, this project would never have flown without your belief in it: please keep the faith. Jerry Taylor, where would we be without you? Sue Harvie-Austin, Bryony Wells and all our amazing Gala volunteers. Supriya Banavalikar, Åsa Skogström Feldt and all the global Hunger Project family for attending, especially Mary Ellen McNish, Rita Sarin, Pascal Djohoussou and Lorena Vazquez for leading the Empowering People, Ending Hunger Briefing. Karen Bartlett, thank you so much for your interest and support; extra special thanks to Sheree Stomberg of our Global Board; Glen Poole, for introducing the concept of World Hunger Day; The Hunger Project UK team of Trustees and Ambassadors, especially Mark Britton, Helen Guinness, Glenn Halliday, Anjuna Kalsi, Jenny Tomsett, Simon Tovey, Chaitanya Iyengar, Wendy Makepeace-Browne and Gamiel Yafai;
‘Team Hunger’ at THP UK – Lesley Reader and Mark Speirs, who have shown the incredible commitment, support and creative ideas for this project: I would be totally lost without you both; JMJ Associates for providing us with so much support, I don’t know where to begin, not least a base for THP UK to work from; and…….. Gary Avis for being a total rock on every level throughout this incredible journey and for his own outstanding contribution to The Hunger Project.
If we have inadvertently omitted anyone from this list, please accept our sincere apologies for doing so and our heartfelt thanks for your support.
You can find lots more pictures from the World Hunger Day briefing, the World Hunger Day Gala and the Aftershow Party on our Flickr account, we are adding more each day as we get them.