Britweek is dedicated to celebrating the very special relationship between the UK and Southern California. One of the highlights of week is the gala dinner which we were able to attend as the guest of Martha DeLaurentiis, board member of Save the Children. This years guest of honor was Virgin mogul, environmentalist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, Sir Richard Branson.

All proceeds of the event are going to support Save the Children and Virgin Unite. We were shocked to learn from Save the Children US program chair, Mark Shriver, that California’s Central Valley could comprise the 12th largest state in the US, but it would also rank as the poorest state in the US! We met two children from the California central valley who are benifiting from Save the Children literacy programs. The mothers and children spoke movingly about what difference the program made.

American Idol star, David Archuleta, performed several songs, and covered John Lennon’s Imagine incredibly.