My parents have been attending this fundraiser for many years and I just thought I'd share some photos and the back story of this wonderful charity and to let you know how you can donate
.
.
I really do find it so refreshing to see high-profile names take the time and effort to support charity events. Lauren Goodger and Frankie Essex have obviously been in Spain filming for the Marbella episode of TOWIE, but while everyone else flew home, they stayed and took the time to attended the ball last night.
This particular not-for-profit fund-raiser is organised by Max, a Patron of the charity. His daughter, Louise, was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis as a child so she spent her childhood in and out of hospital for operations to replace her hips, knees and to have a rod fixed into her spine, so it's charity very close to his heart.
Do I admire people who push themselves physically to raise money for charity? Enormously so. I admire them wholeheartedly - I definitely couldn't do it and it's why I have a justgiving account so I can sponsor all of you who do these amazing deeds. But there are many, many ways to raise and give money to charity. For example, charity auctions are the reason we have an original Harry Potter 'Hogwarts' letter adorning the walls of our house and a dinosaur egg in our living room (seriously) and charity pub crawls are the reason you see hundreds upon hundreds of Smurfs descending upon your university watering holes.
Fundraisers such as The Butterfly Ball enable guests to have a great night and raise thousands of pounds for charity. In my third year of University I was on the organising committee for The Safer Sex Ball , a lingerie themed event to raise money and awareness for World Aids Day. It's one of the most anticipated social events of the year and students camp out overnight to be in with a chance of getting a ticket (which meant I had to wake up at 4am to supervise the bloody queue) but we raised over £30,000!
Can you get dressed up, have a fantastic night AND raise money for charity?
Can you get dressed up, have a fantastic night AND raise money for charity?
Abso-bloody-lutely.
xxx
Frankie Essex, Mi Madre, Mi Padre and Lauren Goodger looking dapper at The Butterfly Ball.
In 1992 Barry and Carmen Daniel were given the devastating news that both their 4 year old daughter Charly, and 15 month old baby boy Rhys, had Late Infantile Batten's Disease - a devastating neurological degenerative childhood disease which leads to an early death.
With no idea where they would live, how they would pay for accommodation, with one desperately sick child and another facing a bone marrow transplant, the family uprooted and headed for Bristol.
The Daniels family were fortunate - as a result of media coverage, Harrods boss, Mohammed Al Fayed rented a flat in Bristol for the whole family to use whilst Rhys was in hospital.
Not every family is so lucky. The Daniels met another family in the same situation and decided to donatethe money that they had been sent by well-wishers to this family so they could rent a flat whilst their daughter was treated at Bristol. Thus the idea for the Rhys Daniels Trust was born.
Rhys sadly lost his brave battle for life on 21 December 1998 and Charly sadly passed away on 10 February, 1999. Barry and Carmen Daniels decided to use their own experience and to channel their efforts into the Rhys Daniels Trust which would be a lasting tribute to the courage of their children.
The Rhys Daniels Trust provides free, self contained accommodation close to specialist children’s hospital in the UK for families to use whilst their desperately sick child is being treated in hospital. These unique homes all provide a haven of comfort and security for families whose children have been diagnosed with a serious illness, and are being treated at hospitals a long way from home.