On Saturday 17th July the Duke of Essex Polo once again welcomed an array of celebrities and VIPs alongside local families and friends to enjoy the stunning sport of Polo in the beautiful Gaynes Park estate.
This is the fifth year that the Duke of Essex Polo Trophy has run, bringing polo to the masses. The day started in style as our celebrity and VIP guests, such as Pixie Lott and Aldo Zilli, were swooped onto the polo pitch by helicopter, greeted with a glass of Champagne and indulged in a four course meal created by Aldo himself, with each course inspired by one of his restaurants.
All the celebrity guests took part in the high profile Charity Auction in aid of the event’s nominated charity Haven House, to raise funds for this Woodford based children’s hospice. Among the successful bidders was Penny Lancaster, wife of Rod Stewart, who successfully bid for a luxury pamper package, whilst other VIPs won items including two tickets to Hollywood for the American Idol final next year, a Sunsoka swimming pool worth £8,000 and many other exclusive lots.
Diversity at the Duke of Essex Polo
Celebrities that attended included Pixie Lott, Penny Lancaster, Diversity, Aldo Zilli, Stacey Solomon, Jack Tweed, Meera Syal, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Sophie Anderton, Liz McClarnon, Bobby Davro, Nick Knowles, Matt Di Angelo, Lizzie Cundy, Jo Emma Larvin, Bianca Gascoigne, Michael Harvey MC, Anthony Costa, Gemma Bissix, Jasmine Harman, Teddy Sheringham, Raef Bjayou, Devon Anderson, Vicki Michelle, Nikki Grahame, Kris Donnelly, Nicky Alan, Nicola Stapleton, Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace, Skepta MC.
Pixie Lott throws the ball in after receiving it from the Black Knight sky diving tea
The polo match itself began after Pixie Lott performed the ball throw in, after being handed the match ball by the Black Knight sky diving team as part of the Duke of Essex’s signature ball delivery. Fans watched around the pitch perimeter as Pixie stepped out of her heels and onto the pitch to kick off the match.
It was the start of a tense match, which resulted in Great Britain holding onto the trophy for another year from the rival South American team to the delight of the crowd, with the final score at 7-6, following Great Britain scoring a golden goal in extra time. Pixie awarded the trophy to our boys, but luckily managed to run for cover before being caught in the Champagne spray!
Not only was the sunny day enjoyed by celebrities and VIPs, but the family fun day was a great success too. Thousands of visitors set up camp armed with bucks fizz and a picnic basket around the Polo pitch, to get prime position for the match. They also enjoyed the range of other entertainments available, such as jousting, and aerobatics displays. But the highlight for many was the stunning showpiece by dance troupe Diversity, who attended the event in support of Haven House. They performed on the Outdoor Stage after arriving in their Diversity Stretch Humma to the cheers and screams of on looking fans.
The event proved a brilliant day out for the Essex community, adding a touch of glitz and glamour and bringing in big names to the county. Since local, Loughton based events company Media 10 took over the Polo last year, it has grown from strength to strength and this year attracted more visitors, more VIPs, more exhibitors and more celebrities than ever before; a great success story for the area.
As Lee Newton, Managing Director of Media 10 says, “our vision is to see the Duke of Essex Polo become the largest polo match in England – we are already the 3rd largest and this event will just get better and better.”
