The Supercar Rally - London to Monaco June 24, 2011
GB Developments was once again delighted to co-sponsor a Ferrari 430 Scuderia on The Supercar Rally in June. The five day rally started in Versailles and the route took us through some of the most beautiful countryside in France and over some of the highest mountains in The Alps. Simon Grace and Mark Gawor followed the cryptic clues provided each morning over breakfast completing some 1,400 miles before crossing the finishing line in Casino Square, Monaco.
This year I specifically requested and received consent to raise money for The Batten Disease Family Association (BDFA), which I know you will have never heard of. This charity is very important to my family as one of my daughter’s best friends suffers from Battens.
The BDFA is the only charity in the UK dedicated to supporting families whose children and young adults are affected by Batten Disease. Batten Disease is the main paediatric neuro-degenerative disorder in the UK.It affects 1:30,000 births and there are approximately 200 affected children and young adults in the UK.It does not affect any particular social or economic group but is devastating for any family in any circumstance.
A child affected by Batten Disease will be born apparently healthy before developing epilepsy, losing their ability to see, walk, talk and eat, as well as developing dementia, before dying a premature death between the ages of 5 – 30, depending on the type of Batten Disease they have inherited.There are three main types of Batten Disease; Infantile, Late Infantile and Juvenile Batten Disease.There is research into all types of Batten Disease but to date there is no cure.
The Batten Disease Family Association is a small charity and was formed in 1998 by a group of parents whose children and young adults were affected by Batten Disease and it gained charity status in November 2001.The BDFA has only 850 supporters who currently help to raise the funds needed to enable the work of the Batten Disease Family Association to continue. The BDFA is committed to funding research into Batten Disease so that more is understood about the nature of the disease and the potential therapies that can be developed to help those affected.
In 2011 the BDFA will be funding their first PhD Batten Disease research student for three years to add to the research already taking place here in the UK.
