Ferraris Speed through Lisburn

Wednesday 30 April 2008

The cavalcade, facilitated by Lisburn City Council, was organised by the Ferrari Club of the Netherlands, to raise funds for this year's Mayor's charity, the 'Make a Wish Foundation'.

The Ferrari Club of the Netherlands were in Northern Ireland as part of the fundraising efforts for the 'Make a Wish' Charity, involving hundreds of children participating in events organised by the Club.  One of these events included taking the terminally ill children on laps around the Kirkistown Race Track in the beloved Farraris.

The Ferraris were then showcased from 4pm at the Lagan Valley Island car park with visitors and locals flocking to see the luxury cars.  The Mayor of Lisburn City Council, Councillor James Tinsley hosted a small reception for the 80 guests before the group were given a tour of the newly opened Castle Gardens and the Irish Linen Centre/Lisburn Museum in the City Centre.

The dinner hosted by Lisburn City Council was also a great opportunity for networking and making new friends at Lagan Valley Island.  A special plaque was gifted to the Ferrari Club of the Netherlands from Councillor Allan Ewart, Chairman of the Council's Economic Development Committee.  Guest speaker on the night was Mr Alan 'Plum' Tyndall of RPM Mororsport TV, who shared his stories of his days commentating on Grand Prixs throughout the mid 1980s.

Chairman of the Economic Development Committee, Councillor Allan Ewart commented that Lisburn City Council was privileged to welcome the Ferrari Club of the Netherlands to the City of Lisburn, and he hoped a great deal of fundraising was generated on the back of this initiative.

Commenting on the event, the Chair of the Ferrari Club NL, Robert Harper (originally from Ballynahinch) said: "As a long time resident of the Netherlands and member of the Ferrari Club, it gives me a great thrill to bring so many enthusiastic members to my home country, to experience the beauty of the country and the friendliness of the people.  The club has in recent years organised five successive events with the Dutch Make a Wish organisation, so to be able to help Make a Wish in Northern Ireland gives an added dimension to the visit.  To crown it all, my contacts with Lisburn City Council arose out of their being one of the most active bodies in promoting business relations between Northern Ireland and The Netherlands and with Make a Wish being the Mayor's chosen charity this year, everything just came together in a wonderful way.  We very much appreciate Lisburn's generosity and hope that we can make a valuable contribution to the City's activities".

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