The Insight Data team got their glad rags and drinking caps on all in the name of charity, earlier this month, for the twelfth annual Grand Charity Ball and Business Awards organised by the North Somerset Enterprise Agency.

The evening saw over 150 business people from across North Somerset gather for a night of dinner, dancing and a charity auction that raised £6,500 for local charities and good causes.

Polishing off bottles of wine and plates of profiteroles like there was no tomorrow, by the time it came to the presentation of the 2010 Siân Lloyd-Jones Business Award – which recognises outstanding business – I think it’s fair to say everyone was feeling slightly sloshed and slightly stuffed.

But for half of us this moment brought back a strong sense of déjà-vu at the fond memory of this time last year when Insight scooped the first prize and were announced Business of the Year. It’s bizarre to think that it’s been a whole year since that brilliant moment, but even more so when you consider the growth we’ve experienced as a company since then.

The charity auction then followed, with a fair few bids from members of the team (not all of them recalled in the morning) before seeing the night off in Weston’s finest nightclubs and kebab shops.

To date, the ball has raised some £72,000 which has been used to support Cancer Research, CLIC, the RNLI, Samaritans, Weston Hospicecare, the Children’s Ward at Weston Hospital and many other beneficiaries.

We’re so pleased to have been a part of this great scheme for two years running and look forward to supporting it in the future.