&65279;’GOD’S WORK’ GOLDMAN SETS ITS SIGHTS ON THE SALVATION ARMY
JUST when we thought Goldman Sachs couldn’t get any more holier-than-thou, up pops a gem to prove us all wrong. Just weeks after chief executive Lloyd Blankfein claimed his army of smartly-dressed minions were “doing God’s work”, it now appears that a raft of the bank’s staff in New
York have signed up to be good Samaritans in their spare time too.
Around 300 Goldman Sachs employees have volunteered to help the Salvation Army serve its free dinners across the city at Thanksgiving this Thursday, when the charity will be handing out 10,000 turkey feasts prepared by up-and-coming US celebrity chef Marc Spooner.
Apparently, the main job earmarked for the bankers will be the ever-desirable task of taking out the rubbish (well, the public would have a field day if they were given preferential treatment, now wouldn’t they?).
“Goldman wants their volunteers to sweat,” chortled a jovial Spooner, who’ll probably end up being lynched by Goldman’s ruthless compliance department before the end of the week.
Any odds on Blankfein himself joining the ranks of the missionaries?
ROCK STAR
Charles Stanley’s self-styled “Rockbroker”, Richard Berry, is back in the game. Berry, an ex-professional rock singer and guitarist, is organising a gala evening at the Embassy Club on 10 February next year to raise money for Westminster children’s charity St Andrew’s Club.
The theme is School’s Out, so think caps, shorts and freckles for the boys and knee socks and rolled-up skirts for the girls. Berry himself (right) will be singing – dressed, of course, in his wig made from a clump of his own long locks, cut off when he left rock for stockbroking in 1972.
And he can certainly still pull strings in the rock world, since auction lots include an original framed and mounted Oasis bass front drum skin, a guitar signed by stars including Guns ‘n’ Roses’ “Slash”, and two tickets to see Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck at the O2 on 13 February, donated by Clapton himself.
TALENT SHOW
Speaking of musical interludes, law firm Denton Wilde Sapte had a starry moment last week as it held a Britain’s Got Talent-style competition in aid of Macmillan.
Thirteen acts braved the judges – and the gruelling appraisal of their peers – including solo singers, a full choir singing Silent Night and salsa dancing. But the winning act was Steven Groombridge and Daniel Angus of the accounts department, who I’m told performed an “unforgettable” rendition of the Stavros Flatley dance first seen on the hit ITV show.