Ready at the starting gates to get fundraising!
Friday 16th October will see 64 horses descend upon The British Legion, Rubery, for this year’s annual Race Night. Eight races will take place throughout the evening, and each will be themed around a different Disney film. From Race 1 with horses called ‘Mad Hatter’ and ‘Cheshire Cat’, through to Race 8 horses called ‘Snow White’ and ‘Dopey’, this evening of entertainment will be a great occasion to relive childhood memories and raise money for The Giles’ Trust at QEHB Charity.
The Giles’ Trust was conceptualised following the experiences of the Giles family. In 2006, star cricket player Ashley Giles had to rush back from the Ashes test series (where he was playing as part of the England team) due to hearing the news that his wife, Stine, had just been diagnosed with a brain tumour.
While the brain tumour was successfully removed at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, the family was devastated when two more tumours were discovered in 2012.
Ashley said: “The tumours required immediate attention. It was heart-breaking to be back in that dreadful situation again. We couldn’t believe it was happening to us.”
While hope seemed lost for the couple, who have two children, Professor Cruickshank of the QE offered the lifeline of a new pioneering treatment called TomoTherapy to remove the tumours. This £4 million pioneering machine was bought for the hospital by QEHB Charity. The new technology can scan the body in order to locate tumours prior to delivering radiotherapy, meaning the radioactive rays can be directed right at the tumour and not at the healthy tissue.
Stine’s treatment was a success, and apart from coming back to the QE for regular scans and check-ups she is back to enjoying a normal and happy life with her family.
The Giles’ Trust has been set up by the couple in order to raise funds for the continuation of the pioneering research at the QE.
The event managers of the Race Night will be raising money from all bets placed on horses on the evening, whilst admission to the event is free.
Michael Tivey, fundraising officer at QEHB Charity, said: “We are incredibly excited that we are the chosen charity of Rubery Race Night 2015. The Giles’ Trust is such a worthy cause, and will help save the lives of many others going through the same experiences as the Giles family. This event sounds like great fun, and we hope that as many people as possible attend!”
