The London F1 Party 2012 at the Battersea Evolution: in aid of GOSH charity

Last night the F1™ Party, sponsored by BGC Partners with support from Pirelli, celebrated the official launch of the 2012 FORMULA 1 SANTANDER BRITISH GRAND PRIX raising £540,000 in vital funds for a new Surgery Centre at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Members of the F1™ community, including F1™ drivers and celebrities came together at Battersea Evolution, for the eighth F1™ Party in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity. The funds raised last night bring the total raised for the Charity so far by the Formula 1™ community to over £3 million.

As creative director of the party, Tamara Ecclestone once again helped plan the glitzy event where guests were wowed by Adam Garcia and his Revolution dancers, magician Dynamo and an exclusive performance by The Feeling followed by celebrity DJ Henry Holland. Guests were also treated to an unexpected turn from Beverley Knight when she sang (Take a Little) Piece of my Heart with The Feeling.  Thanks to headline sponsors BGC Partners and supporting sponsors Pirelli without whom the F1™ Party would not have been possible. 

Formula 1™’s Bernie Ecclestone, daughter Tamara and the Charity’s Patrons Vernon Kay and Tess Daly were joined by a whole host of celebrity party goers including: Event Host Natalie Pinkham Sky Sport’s F1™ Pit Lane Reporter, Aldo Zilli, Anna Williamson, Beverley Knight, David Coulthard, David Croft, Donal McIntyre, Eddie Jordan, Gary Cockerill, James Grint, Jenny Halpern Prince, Layla Powell, Leah Weller, Lizzie Cundy, Louie Spence, Mark Wright, Oliver Phelps, Phil Turner, Rupert Grint, Sara Cox,  Ted Kravitz, and F1™ team principals and drivers including Mark Webber with Christian Horner from Red Bull, Heikki Kovalainen and Vitaly Petrov from Caterham,  Jerome d’Ambrosio and Eric Boullier from Lotus,  Narain Karthikeyan, Dani Clos & Luis Perez-Sala from HRT and Daniel Ricciardo of Toro Rosso.

Great Ormond Street Hospital patient Cameron Stewart also gave a heartfelt and inspiring speech about his experience of the hospital following treatment for a brain tumour.

Bernie Ecclestone, CEO of Formula One Management said: “I am delighted to be able to bring the F1™ community together to help such a great cause. Formula 1™ and Great Ormond Street Hospital have forged a unique and successful relationship, drawing support from across the F1™ community to improve the lives of children being treated at the hospital.”

Tamara Ecclestone declared: “Great Ormond Street Hospital is incredibly important to my family and me. Throwing the F1™ Party for Great Ormond Street Hospital’s Children’s Charity is our way of using the glamour and excitement of the Grand Prix to raise vital funds to help the thousands of sick children who are treated by the Hospital each year.”

An exclusive auction was held on the night, with lots including two places on the Lotus F1™ GP i-race day in Budapest with Business Class flights, Dinner with JLS, VIP Tour & Lunch with Ross Brawn at Mercedes Team HQ for four and VIP Paddock Passes to the Monaco GP.

Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity is the official charity of the FORMULA 1 SANTANDER BRITISH GRAND PRIX. Between 2005-2011, the relationship with the  F1™ community has raised over £2.6 million towards the hospital’s new Heart and Lung Centre in the Morgan Stanley Clinical Building, the first part of the Mittal Children’s Medical Centre, which officially opened in June 2012.

This year, the F1™ Party has begun fundraising for the new Surgery Centre, where some of the world’s most renowned paediatric surgeons will be operating on patients as young as a few hours through to 18 years old.

In addition to the vital funds raised, each year many of the hospital’s patients are invited to enjoy the FORMULA 1 SANTANDER BRITISH GRAND PRIX from the Paddock, and meet their F1™ heroes. This weekend a small group of Great Ormond Street Hospital patients fanatical about Formula 1™, will be Bernie Ecclestone’s VIP ‘Access All Areas’ guests at the 2012 FORMULA 1 SANTANDER BRITISH GRAND PRIX at Silverstone. They will be treated to a once in a lifetime experience. 

The editorial unit
Photos: Martin Evans

For more information or to donate please visit www.gosh.org