The Max Factor with Max Clifford
Above: Max and his partner Jo Westwood with Sir Trevor McDonald and Jeff Banks
From a trip to the Caribbean island of Tobago to a glitzy fundraising dinner in Monte Carlo, MAX CLIFFORD has been jetting all over the place this month. He still found time, however, to return to his home county of Surrey to open a brand new dialysis unit at West Byfleet
A memorable eveningThe majestic setting of the Hotel Hermitage, Monte Carlo, was my destination last weekend for a fundraising dinner in aid of the NSPCC. To be precise, two charities benefited from the night – in addition to the NSPCC Safe Place Appeal, an international French based children’s charity, Mission Enfance, also raised much needed funds from the Taittinger and Truffles dinner.
With Sir Trevor McDonald giving an after dinner speech and Jeff Banks taking care of the auction, a highly successful night could have been expected, but few could of anticipated the £350,000 raised. I was pleased to be able to contribute by giving away two pairs of tickets to The X Factor, which raised £45,000 towards the amazing total.
The main beneficiary was the NSPCC Hargreaves Centre in Liverpool, opened in June 2007. Named after its leading benefactor, retail giant John Hargreaves, the centre is a safe haven for children and families affected by domestic violence, substance and alcohol misuse.
Congratulations to Sir Trevor, Jeff and to everyone involved and particularly to Helene Webb of Cardinal Events who put the whole weekend’s festivities together.
A former NSPCC trustee, Helene recently moved to Albury, near Guildford, from Liverpool where she has set up her own event management company. Based on my experience in Monte Carlo, I’ve no doubt she’ll enjoy the success she so much deserves.
A trip to paradise...It was perhaps a long way to go for a meeting – but then grey skies at home and the thought of those brilliant blue skies and warm sunshine helped persuade me that Tobago would be just fine. Having been to many of the Caribbean Islands, I was keen to find out if the lovely things I’ve heard about Tobago were true. So when a few weeks ago the Minister of Tourism, Neil Wilson, invited me over to discuss a potential PR campaign for the island, I happily accepted.
I stayed at the picturesque Coco-Reef Hotel at Pigeon Point with its own private beach and spa and with diving pelicans spectacularly plunging into the clear blue water in search of multi-coloured fish.
Swimming on my very first day, I met up with someone who turned out to live just around the corner from me in Burwood Park. David and Shirley Trotman have been neighbours for many years but we literally bumped into each other for the very first time thousands of miles from home on a Caribbean beach. To make things even more amazing, the couple David and Shirley were staying with at Coco Reef were next-door neighbours of long-time friends of mine in Hadley Woods, Herts.
If you like golf, diving or simply enjoying beautiful unspoilt beaches, then Tobago is for you. The people were warm and friendly and the rain forest, towards the north of this small island, was spectacular, with its 6,000 species of plants and animals and over 200 varieties of birds.
The meeting was successful, but whether or not Tobago becomes a Max Clifford Associates client, I’m happy to recommend it to anyone wanting a quiet holiday in a beautiful unspoilt setting.
An NHS success storyThe number of people receiving dialysis therapy in the UK is increasing at a rate of 10% per year and is likely to do so for many years to come.
My own daughter, Louise, had a kidney transplant three years ago under the superb care of the St Helier Renal Unit, which covers south west London, Surrey, Sussex and Hampshire. Naturally, I was delighted to be asked to open a brand new dialysis unit at West Byfleet, which caters for 90 patients. It’s a spacious unit, which means greater room for individual dialysis and therefore much less risk of infection.
Apart from being one of Britain’s most successful renal centres, St Helier’s is a pioneer in recognising the need of satellite dialysis units to serve patients whose homes are a long way from the central renal unit. The new wing at West Byfleet means that more and more older and frailer people can receive dialysis without long and arduous journeys endured.
Those needing help in the Surrey area are very fortunate to have Dr Jonathan Kwan and Dr James Marsh at the heart of the St Helier Renal Centre. I’m eternally grateful to them for the way they and their team took care of Louise as well as the countless others under their care.
We tend only to hear frequent criticisms of the NHS. At West Byfleet, however, the renal unit is a real example of the very best in expert medical care and facilities, but I doubt it will receive much media attention.
Max Clifford has kindly donated his fee for this month’s column to The Royal Marsden Children’s Cancer Unit in Sutton. For more information visit: www.royalmarsden.nhs.uk
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