Crawley girl announced as Young Ambassador for charity

All the festival’s attendees are directly helping create a positive impact, as a percentage of every ticket sold goes towards eight amazing charities - helping kids, teens, and families up and down the country.

The family-fundraising festivalhas unveiled 11 individuals as the ‘Faces’ of this year's Do More Good Weekinitiative, with each one serving as a representative for one of the festival's eight charity partners.

These partnerships result in crucial funding, directly enhancing and transforming lives across the UK. Throughout this week (March 25 to 31), the chosen individuals are opening up and sharing their impactful stories, providing festival-goers with a profound understanding of the real-life difference their attendance makes.

Nine-year-old Ellie from Crawley, is this year’s ambassador for Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity. Before Ellie was born, her older brother William was diagnosed with a severe kidney disease, which meant that at just two and a half years old his father, James, donated a kidney.

However, shortly after the transplant, William’s body began to reject the kidney, even with the support of immunosuppressants. William and Ellie’s parents Nancy and James, aware of their need for help, not just for William but for his siblings Ellie and brother Arthur, referred themselves to Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity, which supports families caring for a seriously ill child, which proved to be life-changing.

The family were provided with much-needed relief from their Rainbow Trust Family Support Worker Janet. Rainbow Trust has nine Care Teams of Family Support Workers across England providing practical and emotional support to families caring for a child with a life-threatening or terminal illness.

Family Support Workers like Janet provide families and children like Ellie with practical and emotional support to suit their individual needs to help them cope. Janet proved to be an essential lifeline for the family when just last year, Nancy also donated one of her kidneys to William.

During this time, Janet took Ellie and Arthur on several day trips and would even entertain them both when they were with their grandparents. Overall, Janet has provided practical and emotional support in various ways, including: spending time with Ellie and Arthur while their parents were in the hospital with William; ultimately helping to provide a sense of normality for the family.

Speaking on how instrumental Rainbow Trust has been in supporting Ellie and Arthur, mum Nancy states: “It really helped Ellie and Arthur,” Nancy said. “I was so grateful Janet took them out. The focus is on William a lot so I did not want them to feel as though they had been forgotten about. Ellie loves seeing Janet. She talks to them and takes them off and plays games with them so they don’t get bored.”

Zillah Bingley, Chief Executive of Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity, said: “We are so grateful to CarFest and to Nancy, James, Ellie, Arthur, and William for sharing their powerful story to highlight Rainbow Trust’s work. No one can explain the work we do better than the families we support .”

Founder Chris Evansexpressed: “CarFest exists for one purpose – to raise as much money as possible for UK based children’s charities. The fact that every single visitor to CarFest directly impacts how much we raise and how we help young people like Ellie, William and Arthur is what makes it so special. Do More Good Week is about coming together as a community to make even more of a difference in the lives of others less fortunate around the added heat of our spring launch for this year’s main event”.

Of course, CarFest wouldn’t be complete without a line-up of star-studded talent! X Factor icon Olly Murs, Eurovision heavyweight Sam Ryder, queen of British soul and our hearts Beverley Knight, pop rock legends Scouting for Girls, and reggae pop fusion pioneers UB40 ft Ali Campbell are just a few of the musical treats in store. Stay tuned for regular talent announcements, including the return of festival favourites and lots of new special guests.

Beyond the music, CarFest presented by bp pulsewill host celebrities such as actor Rob Brydon, car aficionado James May, astronaut Tim Peake, and comedian Ben Miller along with renowned chefs and wellness experts. See these captivating personalities as they share hilarious and heartwarming anecdotes and unveil inside scoops, ensuring an enthralling experience all weekend!

Since its inception in 2012, the festival’s core mission has been to raise funds for UK children's charities. In 2024, the festivalwill be supporting BBC Children in Need, Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, My Black Dog, Rainbow Trust Children's Charity, Starlight Children’s Foundation, Teenage Cancer Trust, Young Epilepsy, and the local Hampshire-based charity Naomi House & Jacksplace.

Tickets are now on sale at www.carfest.org.