Fundraising ball raises £47,000 for The Giles’ Trust

Fundraising ball raises £47,000 for The Giles’ Trust

A star-studded fundraising ball has raised an incredible £47,500 for the Giles’ Trust, which raises funds to carry out research into brain tumours at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham.

The ball was attended by sporting royalty from the worlds of football and cricket, and even featured a special message of support from none other than England football boss Gareth Southgate.

Gareth Southgate with a Giles' Trust running vest

The ball was organised and hosted by Maggie Bate, whose husband Dick was treated at QEHB for a brain tumour, before sadly passing away in April 2018. Dick was a legendary football coach, having spent a successful career coaching football stars across the country, including in the England youth setup.

When Dick was diagnosed with a brain tumour, he decided to raise money to support the Giles’ Trust. Maggie was determined to host a dinner to raise money in his memory, and organised an event in her home town of Ross-on-Wye.

The gala dinner was incredibly well attended, with Burnley manager Sean Dyche, England under-21 manager Aidy Boothroyd, former Tottenham Hotspur manager Keith Burkenshaw and Malky Mackay, Performance Director of the Scottish Football Association in attendance.

Maggie with Burnley Manager Sean Dyche. Photo credit: Caz Holbrook.

The Giles’ Trust was set up by England cricket hero, and current Director of English Cricket, Ashley Giles, and his wife Stine after she was treated for brain tumours at QEHB.

Ashley was also present at the dinner to lend his support, and to represent The Giles’ Trust alongside Consultant Neurosurgeon Ismail Ughratdar who spoke to everyone at the dinner about the exciting new projects that the brain tumour team are working on.

The Giles’ Trust is currently raising funds to support research into Artificial Intelligence for brain tumours, which could change the way that brain tumours are treated at the hospital.

Maggie with Ashley Giles. Photo credit: Caz Holbrook.

Money was raised on the evening thanks to an incredible raffle and auction, which saw lots of sporting prizes won, including an incredible behind-the-scenes tour of St George’s Park, the state-of-the-art training facility for the England national teams.

This was donated by Gareth Southgate, who was a close friend of Dick and Maggie, having been coached by Dick in the past. Gareth recorded a message of support for those present at the event, and for The Giles’ Trust.

The dinner was held at The Chase Hotel in Ross-on-Wye, with the staff at the hotel working hard to ensure that everyone had a fantastic evening. DJ Nigel Gaudion, auctioneer Julie Bethell, Dress to Impress, who made the venue look so beautiful, and photographer Caz Holbrook all gave up their time and services for free to help make the event the best that it possibly could be. 

Cathryn Worth, Fundraising Manager at QEHB Charity, said: “The Charity’s thanks go to Maggie for organising and hosting such a wonderful evening of fundraising. Everyone spoke so highly of both Maggie and Dick, and the fundraising total reflects the high esteem in which both of them are held. Our thanks go to the team from the Chase Hotel, who helped make the evening so special.

“The money raised from the event will help to fund world-class research here at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, which could change the way that we treat brain tumours.”

Find out more about The Giles’ Trust here.

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University Hospitals Birmingham Charity is a company limited by guarantee in England (No.10004003) and a charity registered in England and Wales (No.1165716).Registered Office: Fisher House, Mindelsohn Way, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, B15 2GN

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