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A special fundraising dinner at Wivenhoe House hotel hosted by television presenter and writer Sandi Toksvig has helped the Women of the Future Appeal reach £600,000.

Launched in June 2015 to raise £500,000 to support 25 Masters scholarships for women from around the world to study at Essex, the Appeal has now surpassed its target by more than £100,000 thanks to the enthusiastic support of the University community and the wider public. This means even more women can be supported through scholarships.

The Celebration Dinner was organised to celebrate Women of the Future’s success and officially close the appeal. Tickets sales and auction bids added a further £20,000 to the appeal’s fundraising total – with the University match-funding this figure.

Director of Advancement Jo Rogers said: “It has been a fantastically successful appeal receiving support from all our University community . This event was an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of the appeal and look forward to its launch in 2017. Hitting £600,000 was the perfect early Christmas present!”

The evening featured an auction with items donated by our Honorary Graduates, supporters and local businesses including a selection of David Dimbleby’s Question Time ties, dinner for 10 people cooked at your house by chef Jack Monroe and a free dive with a world champion free diver donated by Blue Abyss.

The evening was a chance to bring together donors to the Appeal, local business representatives and members of the University and local community.

All proceeds from tickets sales and the auction were matched by the University.