Footsteps to Freedom Ball

In her role as patron, Anna-Louise was delighted to attend The Born Free Foundation’s annual fundraising ball, Footsteps to Freedom.  This year’s event marked the 60th Anniversary of the iconic Born Free film and the charity’s ongoing efforts for wildlife in need in great style. The remarkable evening in honour of their work protecting wild animals around the world raised over £260,000.  

Anna-Louise joined Born Free staff, supporters, her fellow patrons and trustees, and for a night of celebration and fundraising at The Royal Lancaster London’s lavishly decorated Westbourne Suite. Born Free Foundation Patron, animal lover and  broadcaster, Kirsty Gallacher hosted the evening in style, while  West End superstar and friend of the Foundation Kerry Ellis took to the stage to perform.

The evening’s entertainment opened with a special message from Born Free’s co-founder, Dame Virginia McKenna, who, although unable to attend in person, was as inspirational as ever talking about the 60th anniversary of the Born Free film, and the movement it created. Virginia’s message was seamlessly echoed by the stirring and iconic opening bars of John Barry and Don Black’s award-winning ‘Born Free’, memorably sung by Matt Monro, during which stars of ‘Strictly Come Dancing’, Kristina Rhianoff and Pasha Kovalev, took to the dancefloor for a rumba, choreographed exclusively for their Footsteps to Freedom performance.

Acclaimed Downton Abbey actress, Dame Penelope Wilton, (pictured top with Anna-Louise) then joined her cousin Will Travers OBE, the charity’s Executive President, onstage where she accepted the prestigious Winsome Constance Kindness Award on behalf of Dame Virginia McKenna. The award is an annual prize which, for 30 years, has been presented in recognition of efforts to promote the protection of wildlife around the world. Guests were then shown a powerful new short film created especially for the ball, entitled “What will you tell your children”, which posed exactly that question – what will we tell our children if we let nature be destroyed? Or will we be able to tell them that we stood up, and took action to save it?