Charity Race Day Experience

On Friday 26 November 2011, team Manager Gary Allen and I travelled up to our hotel in Norwich to meet up with some of the VXR on line Club members who had travelled up from Hampshire and had invited me to take part in the Charity day at Snetterton the following day in aid of Ronald McDonald House Charities. It was an early start on a bitterly cold morning as we had to sign on at 7am with an 8am briefing after that. We then headed for the warmth of Tyrells restaurant where we joined the VXR club for breakfast as we were due out on track for the first session at 10am. Dan Englefield, who’s Vauxhall Astra VXR track-prepared car I was to drive and I then got ourselves ready and headed off to the garages to join the long queue of cars waiting to take members of the paying public around one of the most famous tracks in the country. The day consisted of passenger rides in a variety of cars from race cars and supercars through to classic cars. The Ronald McDonald House Charities provide much needed support for the families of seriously ill children who are receiving hospital or hospice treatment away from home by providing them with free accommodation that enables them to stay together. Every donation made to Ronald McDonald House Charities increases the support that the charity can give to the families of seriously ill children. By providing free ‘home away from home’ accommodation, Ronald McDonald House Charities makes it possible for parents to be close to their child during their hospital stay. In many cases, families have to travel some distance to access the specialist medical treatment that their child requires and the charity believes that every child has the right to have their parents close by when they are in hospital. Ronald McDonald House Charities relies on the generosity of supporters and fundraisers without whom it would be unable to continue its work. RMHC has grown into a global organisation with networks in 52 countries worldwide. Today, Ronald McDonald House Charities collectively provides more than 6,000 bedrooms each night for the families of seriously ill children around the world. For more information about the work of Ronald McDonald House Charities visit www.rmhc.org.uk