City Veterans' Network Annual Gala Dinner raises £200,000 for the DNRC
Friday 10 November 2017
City Veterans’ Network Annual Gala Dinner raises £200,000 for the DNRC
More than £200,000 was raised for the Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre (DNRC) last night at the City Veterans' Network annual gala dinner.
The dinner, held at the iconic Imperial War Museum in London, was attended by the Duke of Cambridge, Patron of the DNRC campaign. He addressed guests with a speech underlining the importance of the new facility in helping to transform the lives of those who have suffered serious injuries whilst serving in the Armed Forces.
The DNRC, which was chosen as the charity partner for this year’s City Veterans’ Network gala dinner, was the brainchild of the late 6th Duke of Westminster, who set the programme in motion but sadly died in 2016. The Defence facility is currently being built, and will succeed Headley Court as the UK’s leading facility for clinical rehabilitation of those in the Armed Forces, after it becomes operational next year.
The state-of-the-art facility will provide neurological and complex trauma care and a full suite of rehabilitative facilities together on one site, bringing benefits that will make it unique in the world. The site at Stanford Hall Estate, near Loughborough, is located strategically in the Midlands with excellent connectivity.
The facility is being funded by charitable donations with a target of £300m to build the new Defence establishment. Proceeds from both ticket sales and the auction at the gala dinner were donated to the DNRC. With approximately £40m still to be raised, the charity is on the final push to meet the target and complete the facility.
Now in its third year, the City Veterans’ Network annual dinner saw 300 guests, including members of the Armed Forces and senior executives in the City, enjoy an evening of fine dining, live entertainment and an auction of exclusive military-themed prizes, as well as speeches and demonstrations from members of the Armed Forces, both past and present.
Holly Butcher, Director of Fundraising for the DNRC, said: "We are extremely grateful to the City Veterans’ Network for choosing the DNRC as the charity partner for this year’s gala dinner. I’m overwhelmed by the generosity of those who attended what was a very successful and enjoyable evening. With the £200,000 raised last night, we're getting increasingly closer to raising the £300m needed to complete the Defence facility, but we still need people to donate to help us reach that final target. The DNRC, once opened, will be one of the world’s best centres in this field of medicine. It will deliver the best possible care and will transform the lives of people with serious trauma injuries.”
Jim Cowles, EMEA CEO, Citi and City Veterans’ Network Patron, said “Citi is both proud to be a leader in the employment of military veterans and also a supporter of military charities. Citi and the City Veterans Network are honoured to be supporting the DNRC at this year’s dinner; the remarkable facility will transform the lives of servicemen and women who have been injured while fighting for their country.”
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Media contact:
Emily Barnes, Ben Copithorne or Richard Pia at Camargue on 020 7636 7366 / dnrc@camargue.uk
About the DNRC
More on the DNRC at https://www.thednrc.org.uk/ – see details about the construction of the Defence facility, the origin of the programme and what it will deliver throughout the website including a number of personal video perspectives from those involved.
The Defence facility is under construction and will be operating in the autumn of 2018. The cost for constructing the new 21st century successor to Headley Court in Surrey is being met via charitable donations. The MoD will pay the running costs.
The complementary National facility – for which outline planning permission has been secured and a site made available close by the Defence facility – would be funded and operated separately. See more detail on the opportunity for the National (‘N’ element) of the DNRC at https://www.thednrc.org.uk/whats-happening-on-now/we-are-exploring-the-opportunities-for-the-nation.aspx
CVN
The City Veterans’ Network was formed in 2014 as an umbrella group to bring together the veterans networks that exist within firms across the City and Financial Services in the UK. Their aims are to encourage the employment of ex-servicemen and women as well as reservists in the City; share best practice as employers; act as a point of contact for the MoD in the City; and raise funds for service charities.
Additional information may be found at www.cityvetnet.uk/annual-dinner
About Citi
Citi, the leading global bank, has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions. Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services, and wealth management.
Media enquiries for Citi should be directed to:
Susan Monahan (UK) +44 20 7508 0786 susan.monahan@citi.com
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Contacts for further information:
Ben Copithorne or Emily Barnes at Camargue on 020 7636 7366 or dnrc@camargue.uk