The AAIR Charity

Previous Events 2007

	*Lots of laughs at AAIR’S 3rd Celebrity Question of Sport Supper* This was our third Celebrity Question of Sport Supper and it was our biggest and most successful yet... (more)
	*Race For AAIR* After weeks of heavy rain, the sun shone over Winchester on Sunday 8th July to help ensure the first ever ‘Race for AAIR’ was a run-a-way success... (more)
	*The British 10k London Run* Congratulations to the winners and the many thousands of people who took part in The British 10K London run, particularly all those who ran for AAIR and other worthy causes... (more)
	*AAIR Sunshine Stroll* While the rest of you were enjoying a lazy lie-in on Saturday 23rd June a group of faithful AAIR supporters joined us for a beautiful not-so-sunny Sunshine Stroll... (more)
	*Professor Stephen Holgate "This Is Your Life"* During his 30-year medical career Professor Holgate has been at the forefront of many new breakthroughs and developments instrumental in helping shape our understanding of respiratory disease, particularly asthma and its management... (more)
	*Brooke Laboratory Opens on World Asthma Day* The AAIR Charity and The University marked World Asthma Day on 1 May with the official opening of a Ł3m state-of-the-art laboratory at Southampton General Hospital... (more)
	*Camilla Dallerup Inspires AAIR's Festival of Dance* Despite swapping her dancing shoes for a microphone, Camilla still brought her trademark glamour and excitement to AAIR’s dance extravaganza... (more)

Lots of laughs at AAIR’S 3rd Celebrity Question of Sport Supper.
Sponsored by Uppa Class property Services and Original 106

This was our third Celebrity Question of Sport Supper and it was our biggest and most successful yet.

The event, which took place at St Mary’s Stadium, has grown in size each year - from 90 people in 2005 to more than 200 this year. The amount raised has also doubled, final figures are not in yet but we are hoping to reach an impressive Ł5,000, which is fantastic.

We were delighted popular comedian Mike Osman hosted the proceedings, his hilarious mix of jokes, impressions and cheeky (some very cheeky!) banter proved a huge success with the crowd.

No one seemed too worried about the results but for the record Shaun Udal’s cricketing team came up trumps, winning the title for the first time with team mates Gladstone Small and Paul Prichard. Gladstone joked he was the reason for the victory. “Shaun asked me to join his team because he knew I have always wanted to play on a Hampshire team and of course I think he was looking for a ringer, especially after his performance last year when they lost!” On a more serious note Gladstone added “I know how important good health is so I’m happy to do anything I can to help AAIR and wish the Charity all the very best.”

Saints legends Lawrie McMenemy, Francis Benali and Andrew Surnam couldn’t quite pull-off the home victory they were hoping for coming in third. Francis added: “Mike Osman was fantastic as always and this was a great evening which is a lot different to the usual charity functions. But the whole point of this event was about raising money for AAIR and I know all the teams were happy to be able to help.”

The Sports Journos, which included Sky’s Mike Wedderburn, Original 106 Radio’s Shaun Aquilina and The Daily Echo’s Simon Carter came a very respectable second.

AAIR patron Shaun Udal summed-up the evening: “Fantastic event, which just gets bigger and better each year. This was definitely the best one yet. Well done AAIR.”

AAIR would like to say a tremendous thank you to all the celebrities who gave their time free of charge, Ian Wilson of Reg Aardvark Productions who put in hours of work to write the quiz, Saints Event Management which ensured the food was wonderful and the evening ran like clockwork and of course to our sponsors Uppa Class Property Services and Original 106 Radio. Also thanks to everyone who came along and those who kindly donated auction and raffle prizes.

Click here to view photographs of this brilliant night!

Race for AAIR
Sunday 8th July

"Thank you very much for the photos. We enjoyed the run very much it was a great event and very very well organised. Well done to all the team that was involved!!!!!!!!!!"
Hans Michael

After weeks of heavy rain, the sun shone over Winchester on Sunday 8th July to help ensure the first ever ‘Race for AAIR’ was a run-a-way success.
The 10k road race and child fun runs which took place through the historic street of Winchester on Sunday July 8 were backed by one of the UK’s favourite athletes, Olympic Champion Dame Kelly Holmes.
Dame Kelly told AAIR: “I’m delighted to support The Race for AAIR. My PE teacher was an inspiration to me and I'm proud to be able to support events like this which can inspire, motivate, encourage and capture the imagination of all our young people so that sport becomes a part of their day-to-day lives.”
World-renowned asthma expert and AAIR Chairman Professor Stephen Holgate was on hand to start the races, which saw over 400 adults runners take part in the 10k plus around 400 school children enter the three fun runs.
This event was organised in association with the Winchester and District Athletics Club (WADAC) and is expected to raise up to Ł6,000 in total.
AAIR fundraising director Caroline Pope said: “This was a great day, the weather was beautiful and everyone seemed to have a fantastic time. We are obviously grateful to the runners and their supporters and particularly the school children who showed so much enthusiasm and raised so much sponsorship. We must also thank all those who have been working so hard over the past months to ensure the whole day went smoothly. Particular thanks to Joan and Jenny who were key to this day being such a success.”
Many thanks also to all the sponsors: Norwich Union Health Care Plus, Hampshire Chronicle, Arqiva,Winchester City Council, Waitrose, Southgate Peugeot, Hildon and Alton Sports.
A list of all times will be available on the website shortly.

Group Picture of Winners from L TO R
Front row: Madeline Vosser, Rebecca Black, Louise Damen, Sandra Bowers,
Sara Rhimes, Glynis Sheppard.
Back row Godfrey Rhimes, Chris Thomson, Andy Greenleaf, Prof Stephen Holgate,
Caroline Pope, Tony Lambert, Alastair Ewing, Michael Welland

Award Winners of the 10k Race for AAIR

Senior Men
1st	Toby Lambert	WADAC
2nd	Andy Greenleaf	WADAC
3rd	Christopher Thomson	Brighton and Hove A.C.
4th	Jason Perry	WADAC
5th	Alasdair Ewing	Stubbington Green
Men's Vets
Vet 40	Scott Auger	Southampton R.C.
Vet 45	Simon McMorran	West Wight R.C.
Vet 50	Godfrey Rhimes	City of Portsmouth
Vet 55	Peter Collier	New Forest R.C.
Vet 60	Michael Welland	Oxford City A.C.
Men's Team
WADAC

Senior Women
1st	Louise Damen	WADAC
2nd	Amy Chalk	Bristol A.C.
3rd	Shan Morgan	Army AFD
4th	Sandra Bowers	WADAC
5th	Heather Buckingham	Southampton R.C
Women's Vets
Vet 35	Rebecca Black	Dorking and Mole V. A.C.
Vet 40	Sarah Besley	Unattached
Vet 45	Madeleine Vosser	Overton A.C.
Vet 50	Sara Rhimes	Eastleigh A.C.
Vet 55	Angie Bootman	Unattached
Women's Team
WADAC

500m
	Girls	Boys
1st	Izzie Upton	Thomas Bashnel
2nd	Nawa Elkirate	Toby Elloway
3rd	Freya Alsop	Lucas Lyne
4th	Lucy Torrance
5th	Georgia Smith

1K
	Girls	Boys
1st	Sara Elkirate	Shaun McCallum
2nd	Hannah Knapton	Charlie Moore
3rd	Klara Lyne	Callum Mousley
4th	Rosie Upton	Ben Allan
5th	Annie Hazlitt	Chris Sharpe

2K
	Girls	Boys
1st	Rebecca Knapton	Jack Moran
2nd	Jessica Maw	Charlie Stubbings
3rd	Shauna Moran	Matt Diment
4th	Amy Hamblin	Peter Dowson
5th	Poppy Price	Jack Buse

The British 10K London Run

Congratulations to the winners and the many thousands of people who took part in The British 10K London run, particularly all those who ran for AAIR and other worthy causes.
20,000 runners took part in this is an incredible event, which takes runners through central London past some of the city's finest historic landmarks.
A mix of DJs and live bands provide a fantastic musical backdrop to the race and really add to the atmosphere and enjoyment of the day. This is now an international event with runners from not just the UK but also Austria, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland and the USA
AAIR is doing it all again next summer. Places are usually sold out for this event well in advance so please make sure you enter the 2008 race before all places are taken! To register your interest send an e-mail to emma@aaircharity.org.
Meeta Pandey who kindly ran for AAIR said: “I would encourage anyone thinking of taking part in this to sign up now. 10k is a very achievable distance, I only started training 5 weeks beforehand and I felt a huge sense of achievement particularly as I knew I was also raising meney for AAIR which made it all the more worthwhile. The atmosphere is incredible. This was the closest I will ever come to running the London Marathon.”
"It was amazing to see 20,000 people gathered for the start at Piccadilly, the fact that the race passed Nelsons Column, St Pauls, Houses of Parliament and the Embankment which are some of the greatest London landmarks made it a really special day - despite the drizzle!. As an Asthmatic myself running for a really worthwhile charity spurred me on to finish in under 45 minutes!" Carl Davenport, Assistant Manager.
NB. The race was won by Stephano Baldini of Italy, in a time of 29 mins and 27 secs.

Thanks to our runners:
Anna Turnvey (pictured), Amarij Bal, Donna Harman, Helen Dunlop, Ben Nicholas, Meeta Pandey, James Spackman, Hanif Karachinwalla, Annette Hayden, Funso Fagbonhunka, Damian McLaughlin, Claire Bryant, Giulio Alfano, Nicholas Lazarus, Kirsten Guthrie, Carl Davenport, Joe Bates.

AAIR Sunshine Stroll

While the rest of you were enjoying a lazy lie-in on Saturday 23rd June a group of faithful AAIR supporters joined us for a beautiful not-so-sunny Sunshine Stroll. Decked out in shorts and T shirts (with waterproofs at the ready!) we set us off full of enthusiasm from Martin Downs Nature Reserve Car park and there began a really lovely Saturday.
Lots of friendly chatter was regularly halted by breath-taking views across Wiltshire and Hampshire, chocolate box villages and much excitement to see wild garlic and orchids. A few drops of rain, fortunately it was warm rain, made the occasional appearance but actually only made the event more fun as we dodged in and out of wooded paths. We have already had requests for another LONGER walk later in the year. We’ll let you know!
Special thanks to all who joined us and kindly sponsored our walkers and to our fantastic guide (and comfort-break organiser) Andy Hopkinson from The Ramblers Association. We have raised Ł600, with some money still to come in. With a special little thank you to all the tango dancers of Bristol for helping Eduardo raise an amazing Ł120 in sponsorship.

"We just wanted to contact you to say how much we enjoyed the Sunshine Stroll and how nice it was to meet you all. It was great to be led by an experienced guide, usually when we do it ourselves we end up hopelessly lost, have a huge row, and go home not speaking!! We hope you made loads of money, if we are in the area again we will keep a look out for more walks to join. We're sorry we held you up at the start, but we definitely thought it was a really worthwhile event. Thanks again for welcoming 2 strangers so warmly."
Tony & Carmel - that strange pair from Kent!

Respiratory specialists from around the world gather to mark the achievements of AAIR’s Professor Stephen Holgate

During his 30-year medical career Professor Holgate has been at the forefront of many new breakthroughs and developments instrumental in helping shape our understanding of respiratory disease, particularly asthma and its management. To recognise his tremendous achievements and influence, fellow experts from all over the world came together in a surprise “This is Your Life” moment.
Around 80 former colleagues travelled from as far a field as Mexico, USA, Hong Kong, India, New Zealand and Australia. All had come to pay tribute to Professor Holgate as part of his 60th birthday celebrations and to mark his Presidency of the British Thoracic Society.
Professor Holgate, AAIR Chairman and Medical Research Council Clinical Professor of Immunopharmacology at The University of Southampton School of Medicine, knew nothing about the planned tribute until he arrived for work as usual at Southampton General Hospital.
He said: "When I walked into the room I was completely overwhelmed. Seeing all of those faces and slowly realising I knew everyone. I am very touched that so many people have travelled so far to be here today and to make this such a wonderful occasion. This has probably been one of the most emotional days of my life, secondary to my wedding day of course.”
Fellow colleague Dr Peter Howarth said: “Professor Stephen Holgate is internationally recognised for his fundamental contribution to our understanding and treatment of asthma and has fostered the interest of many in this area through his enthusiasm and support. The fact that so many travelled such distances and made the time to be present is a mark of the feeling and gratitude they have for him.”
The two-day symposium in professor Holgate’s honour included presentations and lectures from the many assembled world-leading specialists highlighting the advancements of our understanding and treatment of respiratory disease over the past 30 years.
Professor Holgate’s PA Chris Vincent, who has spent months co-ordinating the celebrations, said: “I can't really say who Stephen was most shocked to see but he was extremely pleased to see everyone and was rather overwhelmed with it all.”

Brooke Laboratory opens on World Asthma Day

The AAIR Charity and The University marked World Asthma Day on 1 May with the official opening of a Ł3m state-of-the-art laboratory at Southampton General Hospital.
The Brooke Laboratory, created and then recently refurbished thanks largely to AAIR donations of more than Ł300,000 and generous funding from University donor Roger Brooke, was formally opened by guest of honour Roger and the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Bill Wakeham.
Celebrating World Asthma Day and the great advances made in Asthma and Allergy research by Professor Stephen Holgate and his colleagues at the General Hospital, the new facilities should ensure Southampton remains a leading force in the global fight against asthma and allergic disease.
Hosted by the Vice-Chancellor and the Head of the School of Medicine, Professor Iain Cameron, the event recognised the key roles played by AAIR and University donor Roger Brooke in the development of the Brooke Laboratory. Many of AAIR's supporters and donors attended the event and had the opportunity to tour the Brooke Laboratory and to find out about the specialist equipment used by the University's researchers.
AAIR chairman and top asthma expert Professor Stephen Holgate said: ‘We are in the midst of an allergy and asthma epidemic, yet still, clinical services to help patients with allergy are very limited. Despite this the AAAIR charity has helped Southampton to stay on top as one of the premier research and clinical allergy centres in the UK. The opening of this new laboratory recognizes the huge contribution that Roger Brooke has made personally to our research effort here and the importance of translating our research into patient benefit.’
Phase one of The Brooke Laboratory was completed five years ago, since its official opening in 2001 the single refurbished laboratory has grown to three times its original size and now houses around Ł1.5m worth of specialist equipment, vital to cutting-edge medical research. Roger Brooke has now donated a total of Ł0.75million towards the Laboratory. The former diplomat said: ‘I was inspired to donate to this cause when I became aware of the growing menace of asthma and allergic diseases. As the University’s School of Medicine and Southampton General Hospital are among Hampshire's greatest assets and Professor Stephen Holgate and Professor Donna Davies are both world-class researchers, I thought this is a fantastic cause for me to support. The team is making fantastic progress, but of course it needs more money to ensure it continues to find new treatments and, hopefully, one day a cure for asthma and allergies.’
The event encouraged much press interest and was reported widely in the local press and radio as well as on local Meridian and BBC South Today news coverage.
Many thanks to Steve Shrimpton for his Brookes Laboratory photography.

Strictly Come Dancing Star Camilla Dallerup is inspiration
at AAIR’s Festival of Dance 2007

Click on the photos above to download full size versions.

Despite swapping her dancing shoes for a microphone, Camilla still brought her trademark glamour and excitement to AAIR’s dance extravaganza.
AAIR’s annual Festival of Dance was once again a sell-out success, with a host of dazzling displays from professional and amateur dancers from across the region helping raising over Ł3,000
And their talents even impressed international performer Camilla. "What better way to celebrate the great work of AAIR then this wonderful night of dancing. It was great to be involved in a different way by hosting and letting other performers do the dancing. It was a fun night with lots of energy and enthusiasm from all the dance acts. Lovely to see so many different types of dancing all on the same night! Well done to AAIR for a brilliant night!"
Wave 105 Radio brought their own take on Strictly Come Dancing to the show, which took place at The Point Theatre. Radio presenter John Clayton won massive applause for his Argentine Tango – performed after just 12 hours of professional tuition.
John said the event was a great experience from the excellent coaching with Caroline Pope and Eduardo Bozzo through to the evening itself. “For the first half of the evening, I was merely daydreaming, trying to put any nerves to the back of my mind. Then when our music started up, off we went! The dance routine went like a flash and was over in no time at all. Caroline was a joy to work with and I might have found a new vocation, or at least hobby"
Event sponsors Peter Robertson from Condor Office Solutions said the energy and enthusiasm of the dancers created an incredible ‘feel-good’ atmosphere. “It was a great evening and we look forward to sponsoring it next year”.
Thank you to all the performers: The Fitzell Roberts Dance Industries, The Kirsty Blair McCarthy School of Irish Dance, Leigh Ballroom, Mo’Jive, Tango Alchemy, Feet First Youth Dance Company, The Southampton Phoenix Art Group, Shree dance Company.
Special thanks also for all the generous raffle prizes donated by Condor Office Solutions, Wave 105 , A & A Business Supplies Ltd, Southampton Round Table, La Vista Restaurant and The White Star Bistro, Flemming Park, Russ Berrie, The Point.
Look out for The Festival of Dance 2008.


Click on the photos above to download full size versions.

The AAIR Charity, AIR, Mailpoint 810, Level F, Southampton General Hospital, Tremona Road, Southampton, Hampshire SO16 6YD.
Tel: 023 8077 1234 Fax: 023 8079 6866