More than €7,000 was raised at the Irish Bakers Benevolent Society’s (IBBS’s) 17th annual gala ball in Dublin on Saturday (1 December).

The event, which was held at The Shelbourne Hotel, began with a drinks reception, before a dinner in the Great Ball Room.

The current president of the Flour Confectioners and Bakers Association and chairman of the IBBS, Sean Stafford, gave a speech to the guests before dinner, telling them that the night was about raising important funds for the Society, as well as having fun.

Around 200 guests dined on chicken confit and wild mushroom terrine; garden leek and potato soup; traditional roast turkey and braised Limerick ham; and lemon meringue tart, followed by coffee and mince pies.

Following the dinner, a raffle was held with 24 spectacular prizes up for grabs, before revellers took to the dancefloor with music from Gerry O’Connor All Stars.

Now in its 17th year, the IBBS was founded by Gerry McNamara, Sean Maguire and Pat Smyth to address the sitations where want and need arose for colleagues in the trade.