All photos courtesy of Sam Hudson Photography

Dinner About Town 2026

Our inagural Dinner About Town was a dinner event for charity held in Christchurch town centre in 4 of our best restaurants:

The Priory

Eighteen at Kings

The Boathouse

Captain’s Club Hotel and Spa

The evening started with a champagne reception in Christchurch Sailing Club and guests then went to one of the 4 restuarants for their starter, another for their main course and had their dessert and coffee in a final restaurant. All for £50!

Musicians provided live entertainment in each of the restaurants.

Sponsors

Christchurch Rotary would like to thank the generosity of our sponsors:

Sam Hudson Photography who took pictures of the dinner event.

Christchurch Sailing Club who hosted the champagne reception.

Majestic Wines (Christchurch) who supplied the sparking wine, glasses and the staff who served the drinks at the Sailing Club.

About the Charities

Parkinson’s UK (Christchurch Branch) was the headline charity for this event. The money raised for them helps make a difference in the lives of those affected by Parkinson’s disease.

Alan Ponting, Chair of the Parkinson’s UK Christchurch Branch commented:

“We are immensely grateful to Christchurch Rotary for selecting us as a beneficiary of this fantastic event. It gave us a wonderful opportunity to speak directly with the local community, share the vital work our branch does right here in Christchurch, and highlight the support available. The generosity shown throughout the evening was truly heartening.”

Our own charity, Christchurch Rotary also benefited from the money raised by this event. We use 100% of the money raised to help local and international causes.

The Raffle

The evening also included a raffle of food and drink related prizes with a total value of over £900.

All raffle prizes were donated either by individuals or by restaurants and hotels in and around Christchurch. We are truly grateful for all those who contributed. The ticket money from the raffle made a significant contribution to  the amount raised for our charitable causes.

For more information on the raffle prizes and the organisations who donated them, please click here.

The Musicians

Local musicians entertained guests throughout their dinner at the participating restaurants. Christchurch Rotary would like to thank Georgie Carter who sang at the Captain’s Club, Shades of Blue, who performed at The Boathouse and Sax ‘n’ Box who entertained diners at Eighteen Bar and Restaurant.

For further information on our musicians, please click here.

Thank You !!

Dinner About Town 2026 was the first time that Christchurch Rotary had run an event of this kind. We were very much testing the water on this occasion. From the feedback we have had from the restaurants, guests and charities, it would appear to have been very well received and we are already considering running the event again in 2027.

Speaking on behalf of the participating venues, Chantelle Lewis, Restaurant & Bar Assistant Manager at Eighteen Restaurant & Bar, said:

“We were thrilled to be part of such an innovative event. ‘Dinner About Town’ brought a brilliant energy into the town centre, enabling us to showcase Eighteen Restaurant & Bar while bringing people together for a great cause. It was a pleasure to welcome the diners through our doors.”

The generosity of the guests, the sponsors, restaurants and musicians has way exceeded our expectations and we thank you all. The Dinner About Town organisers would also like to give special thanks to the members of Christchurch Rotary who helped keep the even running smoothly on the night and made sure that guests had the best experience possible.

Christchurch Rotary would like to give special thanks to Stewart Day who organised this event from start to finish. Without Stewart, this could not have succeeded.

The total amount raised by Dinner About Town 2026 is over £3400.

Thanks again to all of you who made this possible.

About Christchurch Rotary

Christchurch Rotary is a long‑established volunteer service club dedicated to supporting local charities, community projects, and initiatives that benefit the town. Through events like Dinner About Town, we bring people together, champion local businesses, and make a positive difference across Christchurch.

See You Again Soon !!

Dinner About Town 2027 is just around the corner and we expect it to be even more spectacular!