Spring cleaning isn't just a buff of the windows — it's a chance to take charge of your own story.
When someone first mentioned sponsoring the Blackheath Halls community opera, my immediate reaction was that it sounded a bit grand for us. We’re a financial planning firm on Blackheath Standard, not a City institution. We talk about money in plain English and we’ve built our reputation on being approachable, not exclusive.
But then Daren and I went along to last September’s production of Iphigenia in Tauris as patrons. And what we saw wasn’t what I’d expected at all.
Yes, the music was beautiful. But what struck us both was the people on that stage. This wasn’t a professional company performing to a passive audience. It was over a hundred local people – neighbours, parents, teenagers, children as young as eight – singing alongside professional opera singers in a full orchestral production. Some had never performed before. Some had been involved since Blackheath Halls Opera started back in 2007.
By the end of the evening, we both knew we wanted to do more than just attend. So this year, Ginkgo Financial is a sponsor of the Opera Gala Night on 29 March – the fundraising event that makes the community opera possible. This year’s production is Carmen, and it’s the 20th – a real milestone. Without the gala, without the sponsors and patrons and Friends who support Blackheath Halls, it simply wouldn’t happen.
That matters to us because our whole philosophy at Ginkgo is rooted in the idea that thriving means more than just money. We call it Grow with Ginkgo – our commitment to supporting the community we live and work in, not just the clients we advise. And when we looked at what Blackheath Halls Opera actually does – bringing people together across generations, across backgrounds, across ability levels to create something extraordinary – it felt like a natural fit.
What I particularly love is that the community opera isn’t a one-off event. The musical and educational work ripples out through the year – through school partnerships with Greenvale School and Charlton Park Academy, through the Youth Choir, through the community orchestra. Over a thousand local people get involved in music-making at Blackheath Halls every year. That’s exactly the kind of sustained, inclusive work we want to support.
We’re proud to be sponsoring alongside Grant Saw Solicitors and Rectory Court and Leah Lodge – fellow local businesses we work closely with and who share our commitment to the community we’re all part of.
The gala is now sold out, which is wonderful. But if the community opera itself is something you’d like to experience – either in the audience or even on the stage – keep an eye on the Blackheath Halls website for details of this September’s production of Carmen. No experience needed. That’s genuinely the whole point.
Debra Blundell Co-Founder, Ginkgo Financial
