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Maher Centre hosts charity gala dinners and fundraising evenings for up to 1,000 seated guests in one pillarless 1,100m² hall in Leicester. The venue itself is run by a registered charity, Maher Community Association (Leicester) UK, so we understand fundraising from the inside. 350+ space private car park, five to ten minutes from M1 Junction 21.
Maher Centre has been operated since 1996 by Maher Community Association (Leicester) UK, registered charity 1039128. We're not a hotel chain squeezing a gala in between conferences. We're a community organisation that has grown through word of mouth, and we know what's riding on your big night: a target to hit, trustees watching, sponsors to thank and a room that has to feel generous.
That shapes how we work with fundraisers. Your quote is written, individual and clear, with a price-match promise across packages and extras. Your event manager plans the running order with you, so the appeal lands when the room is listening, not while desserts are being cleared.
Every booking covers a full 12 hours. Your caterer, décorator and AV team get about two hours to set up, leaving up to about eight hours for the evening itself, and about two hours to pack down afterwards. A typical gala evening looks like this:
Guests park on site and arrive to welcome drinks. Silent auction lots and sponsor stands line the room.
Your host opens the evening. Your caterer serves from our industrial kitchen. A beneficiary story between courses.
Appeal film on the big screen, pledges, live auction. Running totals on screen keep the energy up.
Live act or DJ, the dance floor opens, and silent auction winners are announced before carriages.
The appeal is the moment the whole evening exists for, so we help you protect it. Schedule it after the main course, when glasses are full and service has paused. Dim the room, run your film on the 7m LED screen and put the microphone in the hands of someone with a real story. In a pillarless room the whole audience sees the same thing at the same time, which is exactly what you want when you ask for pledges.
Live auctions work well here because the auctioneer can see every paddle and every table can hear the bidding over the full PA. Silent auctions sit around the edges of the hall during the reception. Raffles and pledge cards just need a plan for collecting them; your event manager will help you work out where helpers stand and when.
Sponsor banners, table branding and screen loops are all welcome. LED side screens let you rotate sponsor logos through the evening without cluttering the room. Agree banner positions with the team in advance so they don't block exits or sightlines.
From simple and elegant to full black-tie glamour, the hall takes on whatever look you choose.
Red banquet chairs, round tables, linen, cutlery, crockery, linen napkins and serving ware. Ideal when the budget is going to the cause.
Banquet chairs with chair covers plus everything in Essential. The classic gala dinner look.
Chiavari chairs plus everything in Essential. Add a crystal chandelier, tiered front steps or cold sparklers for the big reveal.
Banqueting packages are optional, and bespoke packages are available on request. For décor, lighting and entertainment, our partner network includes teams who know the venue inside out. See our suppliers and partners page.
No in-house catering. Choose a caterer from our partner network or bring your own. Beef and pork are not served on the grounds of the Maher Centre.
Corkage and bar hire in three tiers, or a specialist bar company. Alcohol-free galas are completely normal here.
350+ space free, private floodlit car park. No guest misses the appeal hunting for a space.
Event manager and caretaker on duty, three car park and WC attendants, and a full clean-up afterwards.
Five to ten minutes from M1 Junction 21, so supporters travel in from Birmingham, Nottingham, Coventry and Northampton.
Comfortable for 1,000 guests in black tie, from welcome drinks to the last dance.
We're happy to answer every one of those on a venue tour. Tours are by appointment and take about 30 minutes. Popular Saturdays and festival dates book up early, so check your date as soon as your committee has one in mind.
Planning something with a sporting twist? White-collar boxing nights are a popular fundraiser; see our boxing venue page. For corporate recognition evenings, see awards dinners.
Tell us a little about your event and our events team will come back to you within one working day with availability and a written quote.