West Ham stars Joe Cole and Mark Noble took time off from their day jobs to attend an elegant ball for Richard House Children’s Hospice.

The footballers were at the event at East Wintergarden in Canary Wharf as patrons of the Beckton-based hospice, which supports families in London whose children and young adults are at risk of death from a life-limiting health condition.

More than 200 people attended the charity’s Annual Ball, with companies from Canary Wharf and beyond turning out in force to support the charity. The event raised over £81,000.

After a sumptuous dinner guests got involved in some competitive auctioning, with sporting memorabilia, overseas holidays and shopping sprees just some of the fantastic items up for grabs.

One of many highlights was the premier of a film made by members of the children’s hospice’s own young film club. In the short film, children and young adults explained what the hospice means to them.

Manjeet Boparai, events manager at Richard House Children’s Hospice, said: “The Annual Ball is one of our flagship fundraising events so it’s a huge night for us. The money raised helps ensure all of our services are available for free to members of the community who need it. The generosity shown was heart-warming and it was excellent to see everyone leave with smiles on their faces.”