Thriller for staff and guests at Softcat May ball

Dreams Come True charity receives £200,000 raised by reseller at annual event

Softcat has raised £200,000 for children's charity Dreams Come True at its 2013 May Ball - double last year's £100,000.

Some 800 Softcat staff, partners and customers attended the Grosvenor House Hotel event in London, enjoying top-flight entertainment compered by comedian Lenny Henry, including a rendition of the famous dance routine from Michael Jackson's 1980s pop hit Thriller (pictured, above).

According to the reseller, funds were raised through ticket sales as well as a silent auction - with one attendee reportedly bidding an eye-watering £24,000 to attend the US Masters Golf Tournament in 2014.

Gemma Dickens, Mike Walker and Charlie Harman, Softcat staffers, had been planning the event since January.

"We are delighted with the efforts of our fellow staff and partners in making the ball a success. Our guests were unbelievably generous with their donations, and the money will go a long way to help Dreams Come True improve the short lives of terminally ill children," Harman said.

Peter Newman, chief executive of Dreams Come True, said: "What an amazing night it was; we are thrilled to have been a part of it. We are so honoured and proud to be supported by such a fantastic organisation and its equally fantastic people, and the amount raised was just unbelievable."

Pictured below are attendees on the night.