On Saturday 8th June, DPI ambassador Lady Forte and her husband, Sir Rocco hosted the Ripley Football tournament at their Surrey estate in aid of Depaul International.
The action packed day commenced with a round robin tournament, which pitched eight teams competing for the cup. The standard of football was extremely high and very competitive. Captains included Charles Forte, Dimitri Chandris, Felix Winkler, Hoss Faridany, Jamie Reuben, David Ross, Phil Sachs and Claro Clavarino.
However, football was not the only order of the day with delicious food being served during the day in a beautiful marquee set up in stunning grounds. Guests also had a chance to take part in some clay pigeon shooting (which was of course a safe distance from the football), and there was even arts and crafts and face painting for the children, making the day thoroughly enjoyable for the whole family.
Throughout the day guests had the chance to bid on some amazing items which had been generously donated including a Champions League Heineken VIP hospitality package, a signed Roma No. 10 Totti Shirt, a 2 night stay in Rocco Forte Hotels 5* Hotel de la Ville in Rome, atop of the Spanish Steps, which opened in 2019, and a 7 night stay in a luxury villa in Tuscany.
The day culminated in a thrilling final, with Lady Forte and DPI Patron, Her Grace The Duchess of Norfolk presenting the trophy to the captain of the winning team.
Overall the day was a huge success with over £40,000 raised to date, which will go a long way towards Depaul’s mission of ending homelessness and changing the lives of those affected by it in the UK and overseas.
We cannot thank Sir Rocco, Lady Forte and their children Lydia, Charles and Irene enough for so generously putting on this event for us.
Further coverage can be found in an article by Tatler’s ByStander published on 23rd July. You can read it here.
