Ferrari Funday is the brainchild of Russ Nathan, a member of the Thames Valley Area Group of the Ferrari Owners Club of Great Britain and was devised initially as a one-off event for the general public to get up close to, and enjoy, Ferraris, but with the primary aim of raising much needed funds for the Berks, Oxon, Bucks Air Ambulance (the Thames Valley and Chiltern Air Ambulance Trust).
2006
The first Ferrari Funday took place in July 2006 at Highclere Castle, home of Lord and Lady Carnarvon, patron of the Air Ambulance. It was all a completely unknown entity but with a lot of hard work from volunteers from the FOC and the Air Ambulance (and others) the day turned out to be a great success with around 5,000 visitors, and the air display and the Ferrari rides being particularly popular. The event raised over £24,000 for the Air Ambulance.
2007
So - by popular demand the Team started work on Ferrari Funday 2007, Lord and Lady Carnarvon having kindly agreed to once again let us use the grounds of Highclere Castle and Ferrari Funday 2007 took place on yet another sunny day in August.
We fine tuned a few things that hadn't been quite right in 2006 and feedback indicates that we solved those problems. Funday 2007 was another success with more visitors than in the first year and an increase in the money raised for the Air Ambulance. So now we had raised in excess of £50,000 - thanks to all of you that attended and contributed, so we had to decide what to do next. We decided to do it for a third year!
2008
Unfortunately the event had outgrown the Highclere Castle facilities, particularly with regard to the Ferrari rides, which are such an essential ingredient in the Funday experience, safety being our primary concern.
So we found a new home at the Newbury Showground which gave us many possibilities to increase your enjoyment of the day, while allowing us to maximise safety
However, there are always some downsides, and unfortunately, due to the proximity of the M4, the Civil Aviation Authority understandably did not allow us to hold an air display, much to our regret. We hoped that the added attraction of the helicopters and hot-air balloons, and the spectacle of the Ferraris on the track would more than make up for that, though on the day strong winds regrettably forced us to abandon the hot air balloons feature.
The new circuit layout proved very popular with both drivers and riders, with the added bonus that the spectators got a much better view of the cars. The parade of Ferraris, with commentary, also proved very popular. We gave a record 800 Ferrari rides - a new record which helped bring the total we have now raised for the Air Ambulance over the three years to the £80K mark!
And so to 2009
Last year we had to learn how to best utilise a new venue, and we believe we have drawn on that experience to make this year's event even better. So join us on Sunday 19th July for a FUN FUNDAY and help us to significantly break the £100k target of contributions to the Air Ambulance!!
