Golf legend Darren Clarke has launched a multi-million pound cancer fundraising campaign and charity event for the Centre for Cancer Research and Cell Biology at Queen's University. Clarke, whose wife Heather tragically died of breast cancer in 2006 aged just 39, said he was ‘delighted’ to be supporting the Centre for Cancer Research and Cell Biology at Queen’s.
Fundraising events will kick off at Helen’s Bay golf club next Saturday 06 February 2010 with a black tie dinner and auction organised by club captain and Queen's University of Belfast Foundation board member Robert Sinclair which aims to raise vital funds to support the work of the centre. Professor Paddy Johnston, Dean of the School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Queen's University said the fundraising events were ‘vital’. Professor Johnston said investment in the Queen’s facility would not only help research into cancer, but also that into diabetes, public health and vision science. He added: With this facility, we have the opportunity to make Northern Ireland a world leader in medical research and to have the world’s best talent here in Northern Ireland. The Centre for Cancer Research and Cell Biology at Queen’s is creating companies and jobs, and really putting Belfast on the global map.
Corporate support has come from many local companies including local medical insurers Medi Money, part of the Legacy Wealth Group of companies, as well as Bavarian and David Prentice.
Campaign supporter Darren Clarke’s fellow golfer Rory McIlroy has also pledged to support the campaign by matching Clarke’s donation of hosting a four ball for the auction, and both prizes are expected to raise thousands of pounds each. Indeed many bids have come in already for the online auction at www.cancercharityauction.com and Rory’s four-ball at Lough Erne has already had a confirmed bid of £3,000.00 from a Belfast based businessman.
Several other ‘money can’t buy’ items have been secured for auction and bidders are expected to raise several thousand pounds on the night for hard-to-find sports and concert tickets, FA Cup tickets in the Bobby Moore Club and Grand Tier tickets for the opera Aida in Covent Garden. Other sporting auction prizes include trips provided by Paddy Power to see Ireland vs Wales at Croke Park, the Gold Cup in Cheltenham in November, and to Leopardstown, Dublin for the Paddy Power day at the races. For tennis fans there is also much sought after Centre Court tickets for this year’s Wimbledon Championships. An exclusive luxury trip to South Africa has been donated by Wayne Pollock Exclusive Luxury and a dinner for eight people cooked in the winning bidder’s home by Michelin star chef Michael Deane is expected to reach at least £3000 at auction. On top of all of these ‘experience’ prizes, the event has also secured signed memorabilia including a signed gold disc of U2’s ‘Boy’ album, an autographed Michael Schumacher helmet, and a signed framed photograph of ‘Sea the Stars’, described as potentially the greatest race horse ever.
Tickets for the event are sold out, however the online auction will continue to accept bids until Friday 05 February at midnight.