Businesses invited to celebrate Christmas and support Susan Michaelis’s legacy at inaugural charity gala

The Loraine Michaelis Foundation’s first Christmas Gala Dinner offers businesses an opportunity to bring colleagues and clients together while supporting research and awareness of lobular breast cancer.

Businesses across Sussex and beyond are invited to celebrate the festive season with a purpose at the inaugural Loraine Michaelis Foundation Charity Christmas Gala Dinner, taking place on Saturday 19 December 2026 at South Lodge, Lower Beeding, near Horsham. The evening will run from 7pm until midnight at the five-star country house hotel.

For companies planning their Christmas celebrations, the gala offers an opportunity to thank staff, entertain clients and spend time together while supporting a charity with a deeply personal story.

At the heart of that story is Dr Susan Michaelis, the foundation’s co-founder: a pioneering Australian pilot, researcher and campaigner whose work brought international attention to aviation health and safety. Diagnosed with invasive lobular breast cancer in 2013, Susan went on to establish the Lobular Moon Shot Project with her husband, Tristan Loraine, in May 2023. Susan died in 2025, but the foundation’s work continues her commitment to research, education and better public understanding.

The Loraine Michaelis Foundation supports research into lobular breast cancer, including work led by Professor Rob Clarke at the Manchester Breast Centre exploring the disease’s basic biology. Its wider activities include research and education concerning harmful chemical exposures in the workplace and environment - issues that shaped both founders’ lives. Supporting the foundation helps carry forward the causes Susan championed.

The gala will combine that sense of purpose with a full evening of festive hospitality. Guests will begin with a drinks reception and canapés before enjoying dinner in South Lodge’s Gladstone Room. Entertainment will include a talk from a celebrity speaker and live music from Landslide, a tribute to Fleetwood Mac. A charity raffle will provide another opportunity to support the foundation, with dancing taking the celebrations through to midnight.

For businesses, attending together can turn an annual Christmas outing into something with a lasting connection to the community. Whether bringing a small team or inviting valued clients, companies can help make the inaugural event a success and introduce more people to Susan’s legacy and the charity’s work.

Businesses are encouraged to book now and be part of the foundation’s first Christmas gala. 

Event information and booking are available at www.lorainemichaelisfoundation.org/events.

For enquiries about attending as a business group, [email protected].