Ahead of the big Tonker Christmas party this week, Patrick Cash catches up with club promoter Tim Jones to find out what to expect, and organiser of the ‘Inclusion for All’ programme Shaun Dellenty to talk about the charity the club is supporting…

TIM JONES

So, what can we expect from the Tonker Christmas party this year? Any surprises in store?

As always we have a great DJ line-up with myself and Paul Coals on the decks, a VIP champagne reception from 9pm to 11pm there’s a Christmas buffet and muscle bears doing the rounds with warming shots. Beer specials for our early guests to 10pm – so we will be rammed early! At midnight we will have a special round of pizza on the bar, plus our own Santa will be emptying his sack with presents for our guests.

Of course amongst the fun, there are also serious issues to speak about: why have you decided to support Shaun Dellenty’s ‘Inclusion for All’ campaign?

I really believe in what Shaun is doing and respect his work, if you can educate the kids early at school, maybe we can change the homophobic attitudes many of them pick up. It also helps support young gays come to terms with their sexuality early.

Have you been personally affected by homophobic bullying in the past?

I have seen it first hand, and experienced some of it in the Forces, it’s not pretty and not clever, and strangely usually the people dishing it out are the ones with the gay issues of their own sexuality!

How much are you hoping to raise from the Tonker crowd?

We are asking for a minimum donation of £1 in the bucket and more from our VIP guests, so considering we should get about 500 people in that’s a lot of cash for the cause!

SHAUN DELLENTY

What inspired you to set up the ‘Inclusion for All’ programme in the first place?

Three years ago my school found 75% of the pupils were hearing homophobic bullying/language on a daily basis. A diverse school community should educate, represent and celebrate all members of their school communities and empower them to be authentic and honest, this leads to happier and more productive pupils, parents and teachers. It’s my dream that nationally we can develop educated, representative school communities where our differences are the very things that bind us together as opposed to tearing us apart.

You work as a Deputy Head Teacher, have you seen homophobic or homophobe-related bullying in the playground in your school?

My staff and I were hearing the words ‘gay’ and ‘lesbian’ and ‘lezza’ used pejoratively on a regular basis. Much of the bullying was covert and took place in the playground or on the way to and from school, and some was by text or Facebook.

How does the programme work with relating to school children, and how do they react to its methods?

The children enjoy a wide range of diverse and representative texts, they talk about their own varied family groups and heritage and we acknowledge from Nursery day 1 that some children might have two mums or two dads, and some do. The response from children has given me hope for the future and on several occasions visitors to the school have been moved to tears by the accepting attitudes of the pupils – we are very proud of them!

And finally, how did you become involved with Tim and the Tonker gang this Christmas?

I first met Tim and the Tonker crew over ten years ago now when I first moved to London, and he has been a great supporter of my work. Tonker is always a friendly, social start to the weekend and the Tonker Christmas party is a fantastic opportunity to socialise in a fun festive environment and to hopefully engage friends old and new in the work as we can all play our part in making sure the school system in this country becomes a global beacon of inclusion for all.