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The First Will Always Be Special
By Wendy Fulcher, Founder of the Brain Tumour Research Campaign
Tables laid ready for the 2018 Amber Ball at The Dorchester.
Wendy Fulcher, Founder of BTRC.
“W
hen I founded the
Brain Tumour
Research Campaign charity
in 2004 after my husband’s
death from a brain tumour, I
had no idea where it would
lead some 14 years later. I
just knew I had to do
something to find a new
purpose in my life after
seeing him suffer for 10
months from devastating
disease that is brain cancer.
I also learnt from his
neurosurgeon how
desperately underfunded
brain tumour research was
in this country.
“John and I had owned
Spectra, a Destination
Management Company, since
1994 and at the time of his
death we employed over 20
staff, all of whom loved John
and were as devastated as I at
his loss; we also had a wide
loyal client base around the
world and a group of suppliers
from the UK corporate
hospitality base in the UK.
Everyone wanted to do
something in John’s memory ...
so my first idea was to organise
a fundraising ball. It seemed to
be a small step from our
business of organising high-end
international corporate events.
A team of staff, friends and
industry colleagues all stepped
up to the plate and helped out
— not least, the Sales &
Marketing Director of the
brand new Grove Hotel who
were just launching the hotel’s
opening. (This was to become
a recurrent theme over the
years of finding venues that
were interested in showcasing
their upgrades or
refurbishments to the industry
and potential wealthy clintentle
by partnering with us for
fundraising events.)
Grove Hotel, the venue for the very first Amber Ball, set in 300 acres of
stunning Hertfordshire countryside and situated just 18 miles from London.
“And so the Amber Ball was
born. People often ask where
the name came from and it is
far simpler than most would
expect. The Ballroom of the
Grove was called Amber — and
so we decided it would be the
Amber Ball that year and then
change it in future years.
Happily the event was so
successful that the name stuck!
Amber Ball guests enjoying the five star evening in The Dorchester's elegant
Ballroom.
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THE LONDON & UK DATEBOOK
“Our first ball was an
overwhelming success! We held
it in early April and the Amber
ballroom was decorated with
birch trees, table centrepieces
were floral Easter eggs, which
were donated to
a guest at each
table, we had
190 guests and
raised
£22,000.The
majority of
guests were
from the corporate hospitality
industry from around the world.
They travelled from Canada,
USA, Scotland and Ireland, and
it felt like a real tribute to my
husband. The secret of its
success was — and still is —
the enormous generosity of our
industry who donated over 40
amazing prizes.
“Soon afterwards, people
began asking “when are you
holding the next Amber Ball?”
and so it has grown over the
years, having taken place in the
grandest ballrooms in London
... from the Landmark,
Grosvenor House,
InterContinental, Savoy and
Hurlingham — to its present
home at The Dorchester, where
it was held on 8th June 2018
with 300 guests and raised
£55,000!
“The first will always be special
since it heralded the launch of
our charity ... a charity which
has since raised over £3 million
to fund our dedicated brain
tumour research laboratory at
Imperial College London.”
For more information about
BTRC please go to:
www.btrc-charity.org