Art London 08 Hosts 500 for Laniado

Sunday 5th October 2008: Over 500 supporters joined Laniado UK on Sunday evening for a dazzling champagne reception at Art London 2008, in the company of artist Adam Ball, one of the UK’s hottest rising stars.

Set in a 75,000 square foot marquee in the grounds of The Royal Hospital, Chelsea, Art London is the UK’s leading fair for contemporary and modern art. In this, its 10th anniversary year, Laniado UK was selected as its chosen charity and, as such, organisers donated a stand at the fair. “Collate for Laniado” was curated by Adam Ball, and featured a selection of his works as well as that of Reed Danziger, Susan Derges, Tu M' & Richard White, with the artists choosing to donate 50% of all sales from Laniado UK’s stand to the charity.

During the evening, guests were treated to a fabulous display of the best works of over 75 leading UK and International galleries, encompassing painting, sculpture, photography, works on paper, ceramics and glass ranging in price from £500 to £500,000, before hearing a few words from Adam Ball, himself.

“To the few who question whether in a couple of months anyone will be buying art, and where artists will be getting their next meal from, I would like to thank them for their uplifting optimism and say that I don’t think art is the ‘ultimate luxury good’. For some people making, looking at or living with art is just a way of life and people will continue to buy art because in times of turmoil art becomes more, and not less, relevant.”

Addressing her guests, Yael Simon, Chief Executive of Laniado UK said: “We are delighted to have given you an opportunity to view the incredible array of works on show at Art London 2008 and to meet and hear from Adam Ball, one of the UK’s brightest young artists whose raw talent is an inspiration to us all. Our thanks to him and Art London’s proprietor Ralph Ward Jackson and his team for selecting Laniado UK as their chosen charity for 2008 and allowing us host this event in this magnificent setting. Thank you to all our guests for choosing to join us here tonight. We invite you to learn more about our unique hospital and the real sense of tolerance and co-existence that it has brought to the region of Netanya. Laniado is a symbol of what can be achieved when human beings come together with understanding and sympathy. It is a haven of peace for today and a beacon of hope for tomorrow. We welcome you into the Laniado family.”

The champagne reception proved the perfect setting for Laniado UK to announce the launch of its new website, made possible thanks to a generous donation from the Bonita Trust. The site, (www.laniado.co.uk), which was launched earlier in the day, utilises 21st Century technology and innovations to distribute important news and information about the Laniado hospital and, ultimately, raise money for the charity.

Ruth Parasol, Member of Bonita’s Advisory Board explained: “Bonita is committed to helping communities address important healthcare challenges, where possible leveraging new technologies and the Internet, so is delighted to be supporting Laniado UK’s new website. We share the hope that this will help Laniado go from strength to strength, delivering real benefits to all the communities served by the hospital.”