Naz Sarkar chatted to us about his political work, his love of the Sundance and his upcoming charity boat party on the 9th December...
Who are you and what do you do?
My name’s Naz, and I am a Maths teacher in a secondary school, but I’m also a Labour councillor. I have been doing charity work for quite a while, and thought that a boat party was a good way to have fun and raise money at the same time.
Have you done much charity / voluntary work before?
I am running the London marathon for a different charity next year and I have done loads of voluntary work in the past, for charities such as homeless shelters. This is the first thing I’ve done for the “AMREF” (African Medical and Research Foundation), I’ve always thought it's important to support people with HIV & AIDS in the third world; and so I thought raising money for this cause is a brilliant thing to do.
So this is not your first fundraising event?
No, I have done quite a few things for the Labour Party (which may go down with some hisses and boos!) also for Crisis, KITC for kids, lots of events with the school, and a tsunami fundraiser. I have done nothing on this scale before though. Ideally, we are looking to raise about £5,000.
What made you decide on a boat party?
I had a party on one of your boats last year, for my birthday, and that was a great success, so for selfish reasons I thought another boat party would be a good way to get loads and loads of people together. It’s a good way of combining raising money with pleasure.
So what did you learn from your previous event with us?
I learnt a few things, firstly at the midway pier stop a lot of people got off, and I think it's really important to get the maximum numbers so you can raise the maximum money. I am looking to get the full 300 this time around – to make sure it’s a brilliant event, raise loads of money for charity, and ensure a busy fun atmosphere. I think it’s important to have a packed event which is really good.
What is it about the Sundance / CPBS that appealed to you?
I think it’s a brilliant boat and I got a brilliant level of customer service last year, people were always smiling and chatty when I was organising the event on the phone. The boat itself is great, three decks, the downstairs space is excellent for djing, and upstairs has a great atmosphere, plus people who want to go outside and enjoy the views can do. I think that London is the best city in the world, and looking at it from a boat by night is brilliant.
When selling tickets does the fact that the event is on a boat boost ticket sales?
I think it does as it’s different, and people love doing different things. This time around it will be a lot different to what we did last year, but people love different and I think it's great to be able to look at the Thames from a boat, the downside is people worry about being stuck once they are on, but for me that’s great as I have a captive audience.
What are you looking forward to most about the boat party?
I’m looking forward to the event in its entirety, I am making sure we have a great number of people there. I will be welcoming people onboard, doing a bit about the charity “AMREF”, also there will be someone from the charity there too, and we will have literature & displays on the boat. Later on in the evening my role is to make sure everyone has a brilliant time, liaise with the DJ and get everyone up and dancing.
The DJs are really good and have had a number one with a track called Dr Pressure, they are playing exclusively for this party, so anyone that comes will have a brilliant time, and experience a DJ phenomenon!!
What are the details of the event?
It's on the Sundance on Saturday the 9th December 2006, the boat will leave Embankment pier at 7pm and return there at 11pm.
Where can we buy tickets from?
Tickets can be purchased directly through me on 07980 281 834 or e-mail nazsarkar@yahoo.co.uk.
Tickets are £20.00 each with £10 to charity and the rest to cover the boat hire costs etc.
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