Chris Evans' CarFest Continues to #DoMoreGood: Faces of its Fundraising Partners Announced

Monday 24th April - CarFest, the family festival created by Chris Evans continues in its mission to Do More Good by spreading the word about how the money raised from ticket sales to CarFest directly supports eight incredible charities, notably helping young people in the UK. 

cinch presents CarFest today introduces nine people who are the ‘Faces’ of this year's Do More Good Campaign, each representing one of the eight charity partners who receive direct and life-changing funding from the festival. Their powerful stories showcase how incredibly important the charities and their work are to so many, with festival goers gaining a better understanding of how their attendance truly helps those in need. 

Launched in 2012, the weekend-long family festival was created to raise funds for UK children’s charities. Since its inception, the festival has raised over £24 million for its charity partners.

Chris Evans said: “CarFest has always been about helping those in need and the fact that thousands of people also get to enjoy one of the best weekends ever whilst doing so much good for so many others, is a double win-win.”

Held over the bank holiday weekend of 25th-27th August at Laverstoke Park Farm, Hampshire, cinch presents CarFest 2023 will again host a whopping seven magical festivals in one: AdventureFest, FoodFest, KidsFest, RetroFest, SpaFest, StarFest and of course, CarFest! 

Fan-favourites McFly are back again to headline on Friday with 2023 marking 20 years since they first started gigging. Headlining on Saturday is the legendary Craig David, who will return to his Hampshire roots after rising to global fame 25 years ago. Texas will be tearing up the stage as Sunday night’s headliner to close off what will be an epic Bank Holiday weekend. 

Alongside these music legends will be a further stellar line of names including Rick Astley, Alex Horne and the Horne Section, BoyzLife and The Village People with DJ sets from Gok Wan and James Haskell. 

But it’s not just live music - CarFest has also announced its cohort of celebrities at this year’s event, such as Anton Du Beke, Ben Miller, Jimmy Carr, Rob Brydon, Russell Brand and plenty more including celebrity chefs and wellness experts. Guests can expect discussions on a wide scope of topics within the entertainment world across the festival’s many star-studded stages, as well as opportunities to have their burning questions answered. 

BBC Children in Need continues to remain as CarFest’s principal charity partner and will receive 50% of the total funds raised. Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity, Starlight Children’s Foundation, Teenage Cancer Trust, My Black Dog and Young Epilepsy will each receive 7% of the funds raised with local Hampshire-based charity Naomi House & Jacksplace receiving 2% of the funds raised. The remaining 6% will be donated to a number of charities that will be confirmed over the coming months. 

10-year-old Luke from Yorkshire represents Children in Need. Luke became very poorly with Meningitis and Septicaemia in 2019. He spent months in hospital after quadruple limb amputations. Back at home Luke began to come to terms with the huge changes in his life. Luckily, support was available at a local charity called SELFA who offer disabled children a range of accessible activities after school and during holidays.

The money that CarFest raises for BBC Children in Need could pay for

50 projects for a year, supporting around 5,500 children and young people.

Yasmin, 12, Oxfordshire represents Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust. Yasmin was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma, a rare type of bone cancer in her thigh when she was nine. It was incredibly difficult for her to deal with the isolation of going through treatment during the pandemic. Yasmin and her family were delighted to discover ECMT at CarFest in 2021, a year later Yasmin no longer felt like the ‘only one’ as she enjoyed a sailing adventure with others who were literally in the same boat. 

The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust takes young people sailing and on outdoor adventures to inspire them to believe in a brighter future living through and beyond cancer. 

The money that CarFest raises will enable over 200 young people to join the trust for the first time this summer, like Yasmin.

Neil, 43 from Salisbury, Wiltshire is the face of My Black Dog. He has had a Depression and Anxiety Disorder for his entire life, with three suicide attempts. Neil is an ambassador for the mental health charity which saved his life and now learns from his experiences and passes the lessons on to others, through My Black Dog as a peer-to-peer support volunteer. For that he thanks them every single day. His daughter Ivy, 10, remains one of his closest supporters and is a staunch CarFest fan with high hopes to meet McFly!

The money that CarFest raises for My Black Dog will help them to keep their services running and help those people who are struggling through very dark days. They currently help over 6,000 people a year.

Josh, 28, from Hampshire represents Naomi House & Jacksplace, hospice for children and young adults. Josh has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, which is a muscle-wasting condition affecting every muscle in his body, including his heart. Josh’s condition means he has lost the ability to walk and he often feels weak. Jacksplace hospice supports Josh with respite stays and regular visits to the hospice’s Day Service programme. During these visits, Josh can meet with other young adults who are using the service. Josh enjoys his independence at Jacksplace and socialising with friends. 

The money that CarFest raises for Naomi House & Jacksplace will help provide care and support for young adults like Josh, and for the children and families who visit their hospices.

Isabelle, 4 (and family), Fleet, Hampshire represents Rainbow Trust.

Christina and Duncan are parents to four-year-old twins, Isabelle and Max, and 6-year-old Jack. The twins were born prematurely at 24 weeks and required immediate medical attention from birth. Max made good progress and was discharged after four months; however, Isabelle’s needs were more serious and she remained in hospital for 10 and a half months before coming home. Isabelle was diagnosed with a condition called subglottic stenosis, requiring her to have a tracheostomy to help her breathe, and she now requires 24-hour care. Rainbow Trust Family Support Worker Sammii has been supporting the family since October 2020. She provides emotional support for Christina, as well as practical support for the children. 

The money that CarFest raises for Rainbow Trust will support families with a child who has been diagnosed with a serious illness. Rainbow Trust pairs each family with an expert Family Support Worker who enables them to make the most of time together, giving the whole family, including parents and siblings, practical and emotional support whenever they need it, for as long as it is needed.

Kitty, 16 from Hertfordshire represents Starlight. Kitty was just six when in 2014, she was diagnosed with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), a condition which meant her kidneys were leaking. Most children with FSGS can be treated with steroids, but Kitty did not fall into this category. She had to have both kidneys removed and survived on dialysis until her father could donate a kidney. Unfortunately, just days after the transplant, she took a turn for the worse and had to have emergency surgery to save her life.

Kitty has experienced Starlight in hospital with their distraction boxes and lots of presents, which were particularly special at Christmas time as Kitty spent years in hospital over Christmas. 

The money that CarFest raises for Starlight will help other children and young people like Kitty.

Georgie, 18, from Harrogate is one of the faces of Teenage Cancer Trust. Georgie was only 13 when she was diagnosed with Acute T-cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma in 2018. She had six months of intensive treatment by the Teenage Cancer Trust within the unit at Leeds Children’s Hospital. Her isolation was made easier by her Youth Support Coordinators Cat and Padma. Cat told her about ‘Find Your Sense of Tumour’ early on in her treatment, but she was too unwell to go. They couldn’t run it for a few years due to Covid, so when Cat told her that it was running in 2022 she jumped at the chance. FYSOT helped Georgie feel more comfortable with her diagnosis and her other disabilities too. She now feels more empowered to speak up about her story and has always loved to help others too so hopes that sharing her story can do that.

Chloe, 19, from Suffolk also represents Teenage Cancer Trust. Chloe was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in July 2020 aged 16. She had chemo from August (2020) until November (2020) and was helped by Teenage Cancer Trust at Addenbrookes hospital. She felt exhausted for about a week after each chemo cycle and didn’t have the energy to make and produce the music that she loved during that time. Chloe wrote an album which summed up the year in lockdown and quite a bit of what she had been thinking about the world. Her cancer diagnosis showed Chloe the value of life and showed her that she had to make the most of every opportunity. Chloe will also be performing at CarFest.

The money that CarFest raises for Teenage Cancer Trust will help other children and young people like Georgie and Chloe.

Olivia, 11, from Stevenage represents Young Epilepsy.

She was diagnosed with absence epilepsy in April 2021 and despite the faultless care she received from the paediatric neurology department, it was very formal by taking a history of her symptoms, undertaking tests, and prescribing and changing the dose of her medication. There was no real support or signposting for Olivia or her family. Since her diagnosis, Young Epilepsy has been helping her by gathering little groups to share about their different types of epilepsy, how they find it, what their struggles are and other facts about themselves. 

The money that CarFest raises for Young Epilepsy will pay for support work, social events, vital online advice, training and information to help more young people like Olivia, and their families, all over the country.

The brainchild of radio presenter Chris Evans, CarFest will be entering its 12th year this August and it promises to be the best yet. With enough activities and attractions to keep the whole family entertained, it’s the perfect way to spend the Bank Holiday weekend.

Tickets are available to purchase here: www.carfest.org

Ends

Editors notes

CarFest

CarFest is the brainchild of presenter Chris Evans. Taking place at Laverstoke Park Farm, the festival features an incredible combination of cars, food, live music and family entertainment. Launched in 2012, the weekend-long festival was created to raise funds for UK children’s charities. Since its inception, the festival has raised over £25 million for its charity partners. CarFest is run by CarFest Management Ltd on behalf of Chris Evans. cinch presents CarFest will this year be supported by cinch as headline partner, Kwik Fit-Michelin as sponsors of the track and Motorsport Paddock, Napoleon Grills as sponsor of the Great British Cook Out and Timothy Taylor as Official Beer Partner.

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Fundraising details

In 2023, a guaranteed 15% of the price of each ticket, will be donated to UK children’s charities. BBC Children in Need will receive 50% of the total funds raised directly by CarFest. The following six charities will each receive 7% of the funds raised: Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity, Starlight Children’s Foundation, Teenage Cancer Trust, My Black Dog and Young Epilepsy. Local hospice Naomi House/Jack’s Place will receive 2%. The remaining 6% will be donated to a number of other charities that will be confirmed over the coming months.