CHARITY BALLS UP; Do celebrity fund-raisers short-change the causes they boast about backing?

Byline: Penman; Sommerlad

BARELY a week passes without yet more pictures of celebs downing champagne and eating the finest food, all allegedly in the name of charity.

But are these summer balls much cop at fundraising? Or are they just an excuse for a posh knees-up and a way for C-listers to get their faces in the papers? We've done the sums - and discovered some of these extravaganzas are so costly the bill for hosting them is more than the amount that goes to charity. Got a story? Email [e-mail]

BERKELEY SQUARE BALL 7%

Celebs: Penny Lancaster, Cat Deeley, Myleene Klass (right)

Charity: The Prince's Trust

Amount raised: pounds 450,000 (2008 estimated) Amount spent: pounds 420,000 (estimated)

Total for charity: pounds 30,000 or 7% (estimated)

THE Berkeley Square Ball, hailed by Vogue as a "suitably stylish end to the summer season", describes itself as "an informal and unique charity event supporting The Prince's Trust". After the first in 2005, actor Damian Lewis said: "It is full of good food and entertainment, and it's in aid of The Prince's Trust - what else could you ask for?" Er, would 7% it be rude to ask to see some accounts? A spokeswoman for organisers Vince Power Music Group said: "The only account details we give out is that ticket and table sales cover the costs.

We make no profit and sponsorship lets us secure a fixed price to the Prince's Trust charity." Tickets cost pounds 700 and 600 guests attended last year - so that's pounds 420,000 in sales. We have no idea how much was donated by sponsors such as Coca-Cola and Taittinger Champagne. But a Prince's Trust spokeswoman told us it has received pounds 120,000 in total from four balls since 2005 - or just pounds 30,000 a year. Verdict: Woeful.

HOLLYOAKS CHARITY BALL ?%

Celebs: Pretty much all the Hollyoaks cast, Kym Marsh (right) Jermaine Pennant 

Charities: Profits are split between Claire House Children's Hospice and The Alder Hey Imagine Appeal Amount raised: Not known

Amount spent: Not known

Total for charity: Organisers were "hoping" to raise pounds 30,000

THE two-year-old Hollyoaks Charity Ball, held at Chester racecourse, raises money for two local children's charities.

But they won't reveal exactly how much. It's organised by Lime Pictures Ltd, the ?% TV production company behind Hollyoaks. But a spokesman said they were "unable to provide information" about the amounts spent and raised.

Tables for 10 cost pounds 1,000 and entertainment was provided by Kym Marsh, the former Hear'Say singer who is now a Coronation Street star, and the Hollyoaks' cast.

Lime Pictures' boss Sean Marley said: "Two amazing causes have benefited from a day that I hope everyone enjoyed as much as we did." Verdict: Come clean!

ELTON JOHN'S WHITE TIE AND TIARA BALL 86%

Celebs: Uma Thurman, Penny Lancaster (right), Kimberley Stewart

Charity: The Elton John AIDS Foundation Amount raised: pounds 7.04m (2007)

Amount spent: pounds 972,000 plus donations for auction

Total for charity: pounds 6.07m or 86%

THE most glamorous of the celeb charity balls.

Last year 600 guests, including Bill Clinton and Will Smith, paid pounds 3,000 each for the tenth annual party at Sir Elton John's Wiltshire estate.

The singer's Aids Foundation website sets the scene: "Guests followed a tree-lined avenue surrounded by hundreds of carats of diamonds displayed en route to the Ital- iaTerrace." Celebs sipped martinis created by Elton's partner David Furnish before a dinner of Oscietra caviar, stone-black bass and chocolates in gold leaf.

The Foundation paid pounds 972,000 through subsidiary EJAF Trading Ltd to stage the event.

86% That sum was "underwritten" by sponsors so all ticket sales and auction revenue went to charity.

"We are adamant on that point," the Foundation's Anne Aslett told us. But that figure doesn't include gifts like auction items.

"We don't cost those," added Aslett. Verdict: The best.

CAUDWELL CHILDREN ANNUAL BALL 68%

Celebs: Liz Hurley (right), Penny Lancaster, Rachel Stevens

Charity: The Caudwell Charitable Trust - known as Caudwell Children Amount raised: pounds 2.52m (2009)

Amount spent: pounds 818,000 Total for charity: pounds 1.7m or 68%

THIS annual ball began three years ago with the launch of the Caudwell Children charity, begun by phone tycoon John Caudwell.

Its 2008 "Legends Ball" cost pounds 1.24m and earned the charity 68% pounds 1.39m. This year's event was more efficient but still only 68% of cash raised went to charity, according to figures from the charity.

Rod Stewart sang at the "Butterfly Ball": tickets from pounds 3,000 to pounds 15,000 for a table for 10.

"Ticket sales and sponsorship covered the pounds 800,000 cost of staging the event," said a spokesman.

"And all the money raised though the auction, pounds 1.7m, was profit for the charity."

Verdict: Improving.

SUNSEEKER CHARITABLE TRUST BALL 27%

Celebs: Bill Wyman, Lulu (right) and Beverley Knight

Charity: Outward Bound Trust

Amount raised: pounds 550,000 (2009)

Amount spent: pounds 400,000 Total for charity: pounds 150,000 or 27%

THE first Sunseeker Ball featured a performance by Take That and generated revenues of more than pounds 800,000. But staging costs were more than pounds 550,000, leaving the Outward Bound Trust with just pounds 260,000 - or 33p in the pound.

This year's ball, featuring Bee Gee Robin Gibb, was even less lucrative.

Prices were halved to pounds 250, so revenue was down to pounds 550,000.

But costs were reduced too, to pounds 400,000, so the charity made pounds 150,000 profit.

Was the event worth staging for this amount? "Absolutely," said Outward Bound events manager Stuart Baker. "As long as we have generous sponsors and supporters who want to come along."

Verdict: Pitiful.

GRANT AND ANTHEA'S SUMMER BALL 12%

Celebs: Simon Cowell, Noel Edmonds, Lulu

Charity: Grant and Anthea Charitable Foundation, which donates to the children's hospice charity CHASE and DebRA, which helps children with genetic skin-blistering conditions

Amount raised: pounds 942,000 (2007)

Amount spent: pounds 829,000 Total for charity: pounds 113,000 or 12%

FAILED property developer Gant Bovey's company ImagineHomes claimed half-a-million pounds was raised for charity atthis 2007 ball.

In fact, the figure, accordingto the annual accounts of TheGrant and Anthea Charitable Foundation, was pounds 112,984 - around 12p for every pound spent.

The aim of this annual shindig was "to have an amazing eveningwhile generating a significantamount of money for charity". Guests, some flying in byhelicopter, paid up to pounds 1,200 to attend the last ball that TV pre-senter Anthea Turner and hus-band Bovey held on their sprawling 37-acre Surrey estate.

They quaffed "1,000 bottles ofchampagne and fine wine" scoffed a "lavish meal", and were entertained by X-Factor finalists Ray Quinn and Chico. An auction including a one-week stay in Bryan Adams' Caribbean villa, five Mini Coopers and tea with mod-el Liz Hurley raised pounds 452,000 - bringing revenue to pounds 942,000.

The accounts, signed by charity trustee Bovey, state: "Expenditure on the Summer Ball was in excess of pounds 829,000 with the largest cost being thatof the stage and marquee whichexceeded pounds 390,000." The previ-ous ball in 2006 did a bit better.

But not as well as Bovey claimed. This time Imagine Homes claimed the ball "raised in excessof pounds 450,000 for charity". But the accounts show that pounds 338,287 went to charity out ofthe pounds 922,928 raised - or 37p in the pound. The couple's agent Michael Joyce said: "The charities were fully involved in the organisation of the ball and fully supportive. Everything was above board." He added that the 2008 and2009 balls were shelved following the credit crunch. Bovey - whose property empire collapsedwith pounds 28m debts - is cycling toParis for charity this year.

Verdict: Obscene.

ARK GALA DINNER 85%

Celebs: Jeremy Clarkson, Boris Johnson, Uma Thurman (right)

Charity: Absolute Return for Kids

Amount raised: pounds 26m (2007)

Amount spent: pounds 3.9m. There were also valuable donations for auction

Total for charity: pounds 22m or 85%

THIS annual dinner raises the most money for charity. But it costs the most too.

Top financiers pay pounds 10,000 a head and millions more are raised through a five-star auction 85% and raffle. But according to the most recent accounts of Absolute Return for Kids - the charity set up by actress Uma Thurman's hedge fund billionaire fiance Arpad Busson - the 2007 gala dinner cost pounds 3.9m.

Organisers told us the costs have been slashed over the past two years and the gala dinner now costs the charity less than pounds 2m.

But Busson still wanted to gobsmack guests. "It is going to be mind-boggling," he promised. Verdict: Impressive, but wasteful.

RAISA GORBACHEV FOUNDATION GALA 75%

Celebs: J.K. Rowling, David Walliams, Peter Kay (all right) Rachel Stevens, Kimberly Stewart

Charity: Raisa Gorbachev Foundation

Amount raised: pounds 1.2m (2007)

Amount spent: pounds 400,000 from "sponsors" plus other gifts.

Total for charity: pounds 1.1m or 75%

THIS glittering annual fund-raiser for Russian children suffering from cancer is in its fourth year.

Its accounts are a mystery thanks to the generosity of former KGB spy Alexander Lebedev, who "sponsors" the event. The ac-countFoundation say the ball made it pounds 1.12m in 2007.

75% Tickets are pounds 15,000 for a table for 10. More came from an auction: Dragons' Den's James Caan paid pounds 300,000 for a Damien Hirst sculpture.

The Foundation spent pounds 55,000 on "fundraising and publicity", covered by a "third party sponsor". A spokesman says that Lebedev spent "less than" pounds 350,000 on the party "in part due to the generosity of the sponsors".

More than that remains unknown. Verdict Good, we think...

CAPTION(S):

FUN-RAISERS Anthea and Grant's event cost pounds 829,000 to stage - but made pounds 113,000 for charity