The Foundation thanks generous support given at Salon Privé & Goodwood Festival of Speed

Reading, UK, July 13, 2011. As part of its major initiative to support the creation of a national network of Brain Centres in collaboration with the Brain & Spine Foundation, the Richard Burns Foundation has made significant headway in its fund-raising ambitions at Salon Privé and the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The Foundation wishes to thank those that have contributed generously with their time and support and it now turns its attentions to its remaining events in the 10th anniversary year of Richard’s 2001 World Championship title.The Gala dinner at Salon Privé saw over £25,000 raised through a remarkable auction of motorsport ephemera, including an extremely rare lot of a signed pair of Richard’s Subaru World Rally Team overalls, with the successful bid coming from the M-Sport Team Principal, Malcolm Wilson. TW Steel watches and generously donated holidays to locations such as the Galapagos Islands and Ecuador contributed to the significant start to the Brain & Spine Foundation fund-raising campaign.The auction was supported by personal reflections on Richard’s life from a range of friends and motorsport stars, including Jason Plato, David Brabham, Mario Franchetti, Jim Rosenthal and Robert Reid.After the screening of a powerfully emotive film documenting not just Richard’s career achievements, but also revealing the intimate details of his determined fight with a brain tumour, Peter J Hamlyn, MB BS, BSc, MD, FRCS, FISM, Richard’s surgeon and the Founder Trustee of the Brain & Spine Foundation, gave an emotive address to the assembled guests. He said, “I well remember Richard’s memorial as a time to reflect on an exceptional life and remarkable achievements. By contrast, the Salon Privé evening saw the Richard we all admired in a real sense back at work - getting on with the business of doing things better. We have only just begun this collaboration and have yet to see success but for the millions of sufferers of neurological disorders, it was indeed an evening of hope.”At the recent Goodwood Festival of Speed, the Foundation raised a further £20,000 as the event’s official charitable partner, working in tandem with Wings for Life Spinal Cord Research Foundation. Auctioning rally rides on the legendary Goodwill hill climb, the Foundation was supported in its endeavours by the MINI WRC Team with Kris Meeke, Guy Wilks and the Peugeot WRC Team, the Skoda rally team, and many other private competition car owners. Over 200 volunteers helped the Foundation mount the logistical challenge of bucket collections and the Goodwood spectators gave generously.Personal donations topped £1,500 for rally rides at the top of the hill Forest Rally Stage, text competitions offering a ride in an Audi Quattro and Sebastien Loeb-signed merchandise contributed to fund raising activities. Kris Meeke kindly drew the winning tickets. The Foundation looks forward to returning to Goodwood for The Revival on 16/17/18 September supporting Hope for Tomorrow Charity.The fund-raising endeavours at Salon Privé and the Goodwood Festival of Speed are soon to be followed by the Memorial Rally in Richard’s name to be held at Royal Air Force Marham on August 13 & 14. News about this unique blend of motorsport and air displays will be released shortly and can be followed at www.richardburnsfoundation.com, on Facebook and on Twitter.

Ten Startling Facts About Neurological illness & injury in the UKMore people die or are left severely disabled by neurological disorders than either heart disease or cancer.Brain tumours affect 5,000 people every year in the UK and are the commonest solid cancer to affect children.The range of neurological disorders affecting the brain is almost endless and affect us in vitro (Spina Bifida, neural tube defect) to babies and young children (Autism, Meningitis) young adults (Multiple Sclerosis, Motor Neurone disease) and all the way through to to later life (Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s).Head injury is the biggest killer of teenagers and young males into their mid-20’s in the UK (more than appendicitis or broken bones) and 12% of head injuries result from sporting activity.The overwhelming majority of head-injured patients – around 85% - will NOT benefit from seeing a specialist neurologist. Most will be treated by orthopaedic surgeons.For 95% of head injured patients, the so-called ‘golden hour’ (the 60 minutes during which specialist intervention can significantly affect outcomes) is spent in the back of an ambulance.You would be twice as likely to wake up in a hospital bed with a brain surgeon at the end of your bed in Greece, Portugal or Spain than you would in the UK.Of 20,000 consultant specialists in the UK, there are just 140 neurosurgeons. There are NINE TIMES more specialists per head of population in Japan than the UK.One in ten head injured patients in the UK die due to mishandling in hospital or during transportation to specialist neuro units.Despite this paucity of provision, stroke victims occupy 11% of all hospital beds. Stroke will affect 1 in ten of us.Find out more from the Brain & Spine Foundation at: www.brainandspine.org.ukFind out more about the Richard Burns Foundation at: http://www.richardburnsfoundation.comThe Richard Burns Foundation 2011 Calendar of Events – Come Support UsAug 13/14 Richard Burns Memorial Rally http://www.richardburnsmemorialrally.co.uk/Sept 17 Castle Combe Rally day http://www.rallyday.com/Sept 16-18 Goodwood Revival http://www.goodwood.co.uk/revival/Oct 14-16 Rally Scotland http://www.msaevents.co.uk/ros.phpOct 20-23 Rally Spain http://www.rallyracc.com/Nov 11-13 Wales Rally GB http://www.walesrallygb.com/