University of Leicester hosts the Heartbeat ball to celebrate its new research medical facility, its biggest ever project
On Thursday 22 May the University of Leicester hosted the 2014 Heartbeat Ball; the evening of glittering entertainment in the city’s cultural quarter supported the new medical Centre. The entertainment for the night included a champagne reception, gala dinner, Flambé Circus and an auction for lots that ‘money-can’t-buy’.
Over 300 people attended the event from communities across the city and county, raising over £70,000 for the university’s new state-of-the-art teaching and research facility. The centre will cost £42 million to build and will revolutionize healthcare and medical education across the region. The six-storey building, being built at the junction of University Road and Lancaster Road, will cater for 2,350 medical students and staff.
Director of Development at the University of Leicester, Steve O’Connor said on the night “We’re here tonight to have a good time, but also to raise some vital funds for the centre for medicine project, which is probably the biggest investment by a UK university and medical teaching and applied research”.
It is hoped that the facility will become a central hub for leading academics, researchers, clinicians and students, who are currently spread across multiple sites in the city. Together their work will combat the major chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, respiratory and kidney disease, and will transform the medical curriculum and ultimately improve patient care.
Sir Robert Burgess, the Vice Chancellor for the university added: “It brings together leading edge research with leading edge teaching, an opportunity to have state of the art facilities, to train tomorrow’s doctors. So it really is critical not only for the university but also for the community”.
The black tie ball at Athena aimed not only to support the new Centre but also with the purpose to find out more about the proposed centre and the people behind the University’s largest ever capital project.
Head of the cardiovascular sciences at the university, professor Nilesh Samani was also at the gala, commenting on the centre “it’s been tremendous, it has done so much for the local community for health in the local community” he added “It’s so important for the health of the people in Leicester. And so I think it’s a really important project”
The organisers wish to thank all the supporters and sponsors of the event. To find out more about how to get involved and donate to the project go to http://www2.le.ac.uk/alumni/medics/leicester-medics-appeal.
Music: Feelin Good Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
