Barcan+Kirby Partners swap the court for the kitchen at Anti-Banquet

  • Posted

Our Managing Partner, Anna Wilson, and Family Partner, Tom Powles, donned their chef whites last Thursday (27th March 2025) for Bristol’s Anti-Banquet event.

Over 750 guests attended the event, which aims to address food poverty in Bristol and fundraise for Grass Roots Bristol Causes. The Anti-Banquet is a partnership between Team Canteen, The Pony Chew Valley, Ashton Gate Stadium (where it is hosted), Team Love and Plaster.

The concept

The concept of the Anti-Banquet is that business owners are invited to buy a table and offer seats to colleagues who do not usually have the opportunity to attend events like these. Then, bosses or members of the leadership team help in the kitchen and serve the tables.

Luckily, the cooking and service are under the watchful eye of some of Bristol’s biggest names in the hospitality industry, including Josh Eggleton (The Pony and Salt and Malt) Peter Sanchez Inglesias (Paco Tapas), Ben Harvey (Bianchis Group), and Hannah Catley (Lockdown Loaves and Catleys).

Our involvement

In addition to this being a fantastic fundraising event, Tom and Anna learnt the ins and outs of catering for hundreds of hungry guests all while getting to know dozens of local business owners. Aside from the excitement (read, stress) of working in a busy kitchen, our Partners networked with the best in Bristol business and got to learn more about the challenges and opportunities they face.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the service bell, a table of 10 Barcan+Kirby colleagues were enjoying the entertainment from hosts Jayde Adams and Joe Sims, and eagerly awaiting to be served by Anna and Tom!

Final thoughts

This year’s fundraising goal was £100,000 and we look forward to hearing what the final amount was. Last year’s event raised £117,000 for 21 causes. You can read the Anti-Banquet 2024 Impact Report here.

A massive thank you to the organisers, charities and other local businesses for putting on a fantastic event. It was truly special and we feel honoured to have been part of it. We are keeping our eyes peeled for Anti-Banquet 2026…

Find out more about the Anti-Banquet here.

    Close

    How can we help you?


    We’re here to help. Please fill in the form and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can. Or call us on 0117 325 2929.