Rainbows Children's Hospice is a charity that has always touched the hearts of the local population. It seems that Britain's nobility is now backing our favourite children's cause as Earl Spencer recently hosted a fundraising dinner especially for Rainbows at his estate in Northampton.

Charles, 9th Earl Spencer and brother to Princess Diana, hosted a lustrous evening of fine dining in the superb Althorp house to help raise funds for the Charity's Building for the Future appeal.

Althorp in Northampton, one of England's most prestigious estates, is the ancestral home of the Spencer family. The house set the scene perfectly for the forty guests who attended the evening. Attendees included successful business people and professionals from all over the East Midlands. Their generous donations on the night have helped Rainbows raise £65,000 towards the appeal.

Dana Simons, Appeal Manager at Rainbows commented: "We can't thank Earl Spencer enough for his generosity. It is truly amazing how a single evening can help us generate so much money for such a good cause and we appreciate every donation we received. The appeal will help us achieve so much more for the East Midland's life-limited children and young people, the funds Earl Spencer helped us raise will take us one step closer to our goal."

Rainbows' Building for the Future appeal is a project that aims to raise the £4mil needed to fund a significant expansion to the hospice. Once complete, the extended Rainbows Children's Hospice will be able to provide extra facilities for the children and also care for young adults whom they normally have to turn away. The appeal has currently generated half the funds needed for the building to start.

Rainbows is looking forward to a further event with the aristocracy when the Duchess of Rutland will host an evening at her Rutland home, Belvoir Castle. Guests will be treated to a fabulous evening at the castle which will be resplendent with Christmas decorations.

People interested in the Rainbows' Building for the Future appeal should visit www.rainbows.co.uk or contact Dana Simons, Appeal Manager on 01509 638 dana.simons@rainbows.co.uk.

For more information contact: Scott Lea, Marketing and Communications Manager
t) 01509 638 062 e) scott.lea@rainbows.co.uk w) www.rainbows.co.uk

• Rainbows is the only Children's hospice for the entire East Midlands region
• At Rainbows we smile, we play, but above all we provide a stimulating and loving place, where families affected by the challenge of limited life can find refuge and understanding
• Each year it costs over £2.6million to keep Rainbows running
• Almost 90% of our funding comes from donations and involvement from the East Midland's community and businesses
• We offer specialist respite stays, symptom management, life improvement and end-of-life care for children and young people
• When a child stays at the hospice they receive one on one care. Nowhere in the NHS provides this care despite it being essential for many parents
• Rainbows first opened its door in 1994 as the East Midland's only purpose-built children's hospice