The charity DEBRA’s Great Chefs Dinner raised an astonishing £80,000, smashing its target and providing the final part of DEBRA’s £250,000 contribution to the construction of the new Rare Disease Centre at St Thomas’ Hospital, London. DEBRA supports individuals and families affected by Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB) – a painful genetic skin blistering condition.
On 7 February 2017, six stellar chefs came together to create a culinary masterpiece at ‘Roux at The Landau,’ the signature restaurant at The Langham, London. Guests enjoyed an exquisite one-off menu with each of the renowned chefs responsible for a different course.
“I’d like to thank everyone for making the evening such a success, from the guests who gave so generously, to the chefs who donated their time and talents. The evening has enabled us to fulfil our contribution to the creation of the new Rare Disease Centre at St Thomas’ Hospital. The new facilities will enable people with EB to receive the best possible specialist care in one location within the hospital, having a lasting positive impact on the lives of people with the condition. Without the promise of £250,000 from DEBRA, this project would not have happened,” said Andrew Colville, Corporate and Events Manager at DEBRA.
The new Centre will, for the first time, bring together all the services, healthcare professionals and facilities necessary to meet the complex medical requirements of people living with EB, which were previously spread across two sites.
“The new specialist Rare Disease Centre will make a huge difference to my life. The current dermatology day centre is a crowded place, dark and quite gloomy. The new Centre will provide a space especially for people with rare conditions like me – everyone there will know about EB without my having to explain it. It’s really reassuring to know there’s a dedicated place for us to go,” said Christo Kapourani, who has EB.
DEBRA would like to express sincere thanks to all those who made the Great Chefs Dinner possible, in particular: Anton Edelmann, Michel Roux Jr and the teams at The Langham, London and Roux at The Landau, together with the other Great Chefs who contributed to the Dinner: Adam Byatt, Cherish Finden, Phil Howard, Chris King and John Williams MBE, along with various very generous sponsors and auction item suppliers.
For more information about EB or the support and services DEBRA offers click here. To find out more about the new Rare Disease Centre click here.