Richard Burns Foundation Consolidates Its Charitable Mission

Richard Burns Foundation Consolidates Its Charitable Mission

Posted: May 8, 2011 12:22 PM

In the tenth anniversary year of Richard Burns 2001 World Rally Championship title, the charitable Foundation that acts in his memory has consolidated its mission in a new development to help the Brain & Spine Foundation create a nationwide network of brain centres in the UK.

Inspired by the leadership of Richard’s surgeon, Peter J Hamlyn, MB BS, BSc, MD, FRCS, FISM, who is also the Founder Trustee of the Brain & Spine Foundation, Richard’s charity will help to address the startling lack of neurological provision in the UK.

Given that neurological injury and illness is a bigger cause of serious disability in the UK than cancer, heart disease and diabetes put together, the paucity of neurological services in NHS is staggering. In 760 acute hospitals in the UK, only 4% have neurological units. Over a million people – half of these children and young adults – suffer a head injury every year. Alongside neuro injury, neurological illness has an incredible diversity of manifestations, from foetal diseases such as Spina Bifida, through to conditions that afflict the young, such as Cerebral Palsy& Meningitis; the unrelenting assault from neuro conditions continues through adult life, with brain tumours & brain haemorrhages all too common. And neuro illness follows us into old age, with the widespread incidence of conditions ranging from Parkinson’s to Dementia & Alzheimer’s.

Given the scale & range of neuro injury and illness and the scarcity of specialist practitioners, the Richard Burns Foundation has committed its charitable endeavour to support the Brain & Spine Foundation to help close this resourcing gap. The ambition is to fund the first Brain Centre, where members of public can access walk-in support and advice from specialist neurological nurses who can provide guidance for the array of neurological conditions from MS, Motor Neurone Disease & stroke, to name but a few.

Dependent on the success of this venture, the Richard Burns Foundation is committed to supporting the Brain & Spine Foundation to spread the Brain Centre project nationally.

Zoe Scott of the Richard Burns Foundation said, “In the tenth anniversary year of Richard’s World Championship, we are delighted to refocus our charitable efforts to support this amazing cause. We have helped quite a number of very worthy causes in the past six years, from Headway to the Lewis Hamilton Foundation, Welsh Air Ambulance, Teenage Cancer Trust and the Make-a-Wish Foundation to name but a few. However, with so many people affected by neurological trauma or illness yet forced to cope with such limited medical provision, it makes complete sense to focus our fundraising for the Brain & Spine Foundation Brain Centres in Richard’s name.”

David Lapworth, a trustee of the Richard Burns Foundation and Prodrive/MINI WRC Technical Director said,
“Over the course of the next 12 months, expect to hear a lot more about the Richard Burns Foundation; a number of very prominent people and organisations are joining us to ramp up our work given the important ambition we have set out. We have recently welcomed Pirelli’s Motorsport Director, Paul Hembrey, to the Foundation as a Trustee, and this is the beginning of an exciting year of development for us.”

The Richard Burns Foundation has an annual programme of events and fund-raising activities in 2011, headlined by the Richard Burns Foundation Summer Dinner on Friday, June 24, 2011 at the exclusive Salon Privé at Syon Park, Chiswick. An auction of motorsport ephemera, collectibles and money-can't-buy experiences kindly donated by Formula One and World Rally Teams and select addresses from some of international motosport's greatest stars follows a Pommery champagne reception and an evening of fine dining.

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Richard Burns Foundation