Cancer Research UK’s flagship gala, hosted by Ronan and Storm Keating, went to the Emerald City at Raffles London in 2025 and raised £860,000 for its cancer nurses.
Cancer Research UK held its flagship gala, the Emeralds and Ivy Ball, at Raffles London at The OWO in Whitehall on Saturday 13 December 2025. Ronan and Storm Keating were the hosts.
Marie Keating died of breast cancer in 1998. Her children promised to give women and their families the information that could help them prevent cancer or catch it at its earliest stage. They set up the Marie Keating Foundation in her memory.
The ball celebrates the family’s partnership with Cancer Research UK, and in 2013 it was held at Old Billingsgate. It pays for the charity’s Cancer Awareness Roadshow, on the road since 2006.
The roadshow’s four teams of nurses travel to the most deprived areas of the United Kingdom. They talk to the public about how to reduce their risk of cancer.
The 2025 ball took The Wizard of Oz as its theme, A Night in the Emerald City. Its 312 guests raised £860,000 for the roadshow nurses.
Nicky Byrne was master of ceremonies. Andrew Roachford, Emerald Storm and Jenny Plant performed, as did Ronan Keating with his band, and Byrne and Keating sang “Picture of You” while the guests danced.