Hundreds Come Together For Sparkles Ball

Hundreds of people supported by Community Integrated Care, their families and colleagues came together for a night to remember as our charity’s much-loved Sparkles Ball in Aberdeen returned for its 26^th year.

Two people smiling to camera, on the dancefloor. The person on the left is in a wheelchair and wearing a shirt and bowtie. The person on the right is leaning down to smile with him, and is wearing pumpkin themed clothing.

Held at Aberdeen’s P&J Live on Saturday 31^st October, the event attracted guests from across Scotland, with around 400 people attending, including some travelling more than 200 miles from the Highlands to join the celebrations.

What started 27 years ago at Thainstone Mart, has grown into one of the highlights of the year for many of our colleagues and the people they support, with this year’s move to P&J Live marking an exciting new chapter for the event.

Bringing people together for a night of music, dancing and friendship, the people we support took centre stage, welcoming guests and delivering speeches.

Three people sat at an events table, smiling to camera. The person closest wears a witch's costume. This year, Andrew McGlashlan, a person we support in Inverurie, had the honour of opening the evening with a speech.

Andrew said: “I was so excited to officially open the Sparkles Ball with my speech. It was great to see so many new faces and everyone had lots of fun coming together to celebrate. I’d like to say a big thank you to our team who organised everything, it was brilliant.”

Sara Murphy, Managing Director at Community Integrated Care, said: “It’s amazing to think how far Sparkles has come since those early days at Thainstone Mart. To now be welcoming hundreds of people is something really special, and it’s been lovely to see people travelling from so far to be part of it.”

“There’s always such a brilliant atmosphere on the night and that’s why we’ve kept Sparkles going for all these years, because it means so much to everyone involved.”

As one of the UK’s largest social care charities. Community Integrated Care supports people with learning disabilities, autistic people and those with complex care needs to live fulfilling lives. Events like Sparkles reflect our charity’s commitment to creating opportunities for people to build friendships, enjoy new experiences and live their best lives possible.

A busy dancefloor filled with people supported, colleagues and family members dancing. There is a pink disco light, lighting up the room.