News

“WE’LL MEET AGAIN”……. AGAIN!

Our 4th (!!) Enigma Ball for the Transgender Community (and friends with open minds!) is now confirmed on 5th May 2012, again at the superb location of Bletchley Park (home of the WW2 CodeBreakers), Milton Keynes.

Date-wise, we are as close to commemorating VE Day 1945 (8th May) as possible, so a great excuse to fish out your old uniforms and glam vintage ballgowns and cocktail dresses!

The first three Enigma Balls (November 2010, and April and November 2011) were so successful that we couldn’t help but carry on what is becoming a tradition and create Enigma Ball #4! Following so much positive feedback and requests to continue, we now appear to be part of the Transgender Social Calendar and so, here it is….. Enigma Ball #4 for another highlight night of your life …….

Feedback from the fabulous ENIGMATTENDEES is that there is no need for many changes:

• Our venue continues to be the stunning Ballroom of Bletchley Park Mansion
• Our chosen ‘resident band’ (back for a 3rd time!) will be the wonderful SwingSmiths (this time 9-Piece to replicate the BIG BAND SOUND of the era)

Just think of the most glamorous image of the 1940′s or the utility of the day and ….. GO FOR IT!!! In today’s age of ‘smart but casual’ this is an evening when you will not feel overdressed! If you need inspiration please look at the Gallery Pages for pictures of the three previous Balls and you will see that ‘overdressed’ is not a phrase that springs to mind!  

The Ball runs from 7.30pm to Midnight and on arrival at the red carpet you will be greeted with a complimentary champagne welcome. Food is NOT available and we recommend eating an early dinner beforehand (but not too much, you don’t want to bust your zip!). 

The SwingSmiths with female vocals will start the first of their three 40-minute sets at 8pm to get the floor jumping with an enigmatic repertoire of songs from the 40′s and 50′s, up to the present day.

As before we will have our roving photographer, courtesy of Pink Punters Nightclub, offering formal and informal photo opportunities of the evening (see Gallery Page, aah that staircase?!).

During the evening we will again offer fantastic raffle prizes, from premium brand Cosmetic Sets to vouchers for Wigs, and Jewellery. We raised £730 last time for Cancer Research UK and we’re hoping to smash the £1,000 barrier time around!).

Pink Punters Nightclub in Bletchley (the best nightclub in the UK catering specifically for the LGBT Community) is once again supporting the Ball by offering FREE ENTRY (worth £8) into the club afterwards for all Enigma Ballers, and open until 6am – so what better way to extend your party amongst friends in a fantastically welcoming environment?! And to show off your best frocks to the masses!

Pinks will also be running their Rainbow Double-Decker Bus as a Shuttle to and from Bletchley Park for all attendees who require it, saving on taxi fares (for a small donation to our chosen charity – Cancer Research UK).

For those coming from afar, as before, we have also negotiated a discounted room rate for all Ball-goers at The Campanile Hotel in Fenny Stratford (across the road from Pink Punters). So for a twin-bed room two people can stay overnight for £45 instead of the usual price of £58. The hotel caters for the Trans-Community and is full every month on the evening of the ‘Big Night Out’ at Pink Punters.  The Rainbow Bus will be leaving from outside Reception at 7pm.

AND SO, FOR A TICKET PRICE OF £35, COME TO THE ENIGMA BALL #4. Admission is by ticket only and attendance is limited to 200 so don’t delay and miss the opportunity of a lifetime. We were 5 short of a ‘full house’ last time and word of mouth is already working for us! 

For more details and to book tickets contact Kathy Martin by email at:

kathy-martin@hotmail.co.uk or kathy.martin@enigmaball.co.uk

Hope to hear from you soon!

Until then ……

xx

About

The initial idea behind THE ENIGMA BALL was very simple. After many years away from the UK Transgender Social Scene, I came back out looking for a stylish, fun, social event where the atmosphere was welcoming and sophisticated. I wanted to find like-minded people who just wanted to spend an evening together in excellent surroundings and wear their most glamorous clothes. 

Unfortunately I was too young to have had the opportunity to attend the famous Porchester Balls in London. But I AM old enough to remember the brilliant monthly ‘Ron Storme’s Balls’ (God rest your soul, Ron!) at Tudor Lodge, Bromley-By-Bow, where everyone was smiling ALL NIGHT!

And I still fondly remember the ‘family’ we created every month, sitting with Annie & John (our ‘mum and dad’), Jill (my eldest ‘sister’) and Michele (Jill’s wife!), Alison (my middle ‘sister’) and Mary (now Alison’s wife!) – I was the baby sister who endured the butt of many jokes whilst I like to think ‘holding my own’!!! Thank you Stella for complimenting my black linen suit the first time we ever met – you ARE a star! We are all still very close friends and will remain so for ever (I’m sure Annie even still looks down on us from above and smiles at what we get up to!). Both Janett Scott and Jenny Baker went on to become beacons in the Transgender World at The Beaumont Society and Manchester’s Northern Concord respectively – thanks and well done to both of you!

At the time, a highlight for me was when we helped out as waitresses for the Old-Age Pensioners Christmas Dinner at the Tudor Lodge – happy days!

We also had the stylish Sunday nights on the rooftop terrace of The Kensington Palace Hotel, where peacocks (literally!) roamed freely amongst the guests. The Philbeach was another frequent haunt (with Jimmy the barman and excellent food) that offered nights out (sadly now closed down). I also saw the launch of The Way Out Club in the Piano Bar, Kingly Street behind Carnaby Street, and knew Vicky Lee and Stefan (again, sadly taken at too young an age) in ‘the early days’. AND NOT FORGETTING THE MONTHLY KINKY GERLINKY AT THE ODEON LEICESTER SQUARE!!!!!

Lots of fond memories that I struggled to re-find when I was looking again. This is what I thought was lacking for today’s generation of Cross-Dressers (and ‘friends with open minds’!). In an age of ‘smart but casual’ I found that I was over-dressed and stood out for all the wrong reasons!

Thankfully I DID find Pink Punters Nightclub in Bletchley, and a new ‘family’ – arguably THE pre-eminent entertainment venue for the Transgender Community IN THE UK today!

So…. what to do?!

If I couldn’t find anywhere to go (other than Pinks) I just had to organise something on my own! The proximity to the stunning Bletchley Park Mansion and Ballroom was too good an opportunity not to seek out ……. and THE ENIGMA BALL was born!

I now know how Kevin Costner felt in ‘The Field Of Dreams’ when he was told “Build it and they WILL come!”. Thankfully I have had the support of amazing friends (you know who you are) who also believe that the Enigma Ball is a good idea and A BIG THANK YOU must go to everyone at Pinks for all their help and support in putting the Balls together over the past 18 months – I could NOT have done this without you. 

The positive feedback from those who have attended the first three Balls has made it all worthwhile. This may sound cheesy but when people tell me that they have had ‘the best night of their lives’, then I nearly start to cry!

I want to give others the chance to experience the feeling I had at all the places I had been ‘in my youth’. I felt elated for days, weeks, months afterwards and have been lucky to meet so many fantastic life-long friends on my travels.

The Enigma Ball will continue as long as everyone continues to have an evening to remember for a long time!

Big hugs to all and I look forward to welcoming you on the red carpet in the near future! Please come over and say ‘Hello’

Kathy

xx