None of the UK Air Ambulances receive either Government or National Lottery funds and rely totally on voluntary contributions for their very existence, so an event such as the Ferrari Funday represents a major fundraising opportunity and the response of Air Ambulance supporters and associated volunteers from neighbouring FOC Groups, as well as Thames Valley, to the success of the Funday was nothing short of amazing.

A resume of what happened on the day just sums up the scale of the event:

Setup started at 04.30 – it was still dark!
135 Ferraris attended.
35 FOC members gave 751 passenger rides between them, this alone raising well over £11,000 for the Air Ambulance.
98% of the passengers picked up their commemorative certificates within half an hour, an amazing piece of logistics - thanks Pentax UK.
One driver alone met his personal target of raising £1,000 by giving 70 rides.
The manager of the Ferrari Funday certificate production team, John Dickins, raised £250 from his workmates at Pentax UK, by driving a lap of the Highclere circuit in his Ferrari 308QV – wearing a Porsche tee shirt and cap. Well done John, your pain will be an Air Ambulance patient's gain.
AON insurance ran a “Fun” competition – how apt – for Ferrari owners.
Lady Carnarvon (whose home this is) presented prizes (and very nice they were too – a crystal glass trophy plus a good bottle of champagne) for: best number plate, furthest distance travelled in a Ferrari to get there, nicest non-red Ferrari, the Ferrari the AON team would most like to drive home and, finally, the most amusing story told by an owner about their car. It was all good for a laugh and the winning owners seemed to enjoy it all!

And then there was the Air Show, well two actually. Early afternoon we were treated to a 45 minute display of Hawker Hurricane, Nanching trainer, Tiger Moth formation flying, Pitts Special aerobatics and finally a Spitfire. Then at 18.00, as the day’s finale, in the late afternoon sunshine, we were treated to a triple fly-past by the Lancaster Bomber from the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. What a moment! It certainly drew a tear to the eyes of many, and elicited a spontaneous round of applause from all who had stayed on to see it. Quite a moment.

Many thanks to the sponsors who made the display possible. And as for the Air Ambulance Helicopter, the whole reason for us being there at all at Highclere? Well – it was there at the beginning of the day, and again briefly in the middle, but for most of the time it was away doing what it was designed to do – saving lives. Seven missions on its first sortie alone!

Every pound spent on the day, or contributed by Ferrari owners giving rides, or those giving their time to help, contributed to keeping that helicopter in the air. A good feeling for all involved. But there was much more. The Ferrari “Village” was full of trade stands, everything from Verdi’s collection of cars for sale, all in black (yes a black Enzo) or white (white Testarossi have never been my thing but quite impressive), to Dick Lovett’s with a lovely Challenge Stradale. Bridgestone brought along an F1 display car plus a simulator which proved a great attraction for the younger visitors. Stands to buy Ferrari models and clothing, and of course our own FOC stand.

Elsewhere, in the Leisure Zone, there were all sorts of musicians from Scottish Pipe Bands to Rock n' Roll. And then there was Punch and Judy and football penalty competitions and all sorts of other things to entertain families.

Then of course, all day long there was the sound of Ferraris “doing their thing” round the Highclere “track”. "Clerk of the Course" Michael Adamson and his team ensured that top speeds were tightly controlled by means of a few straw bale chicanes; however, this still allowed the drivers to safely demonstrate one little bit of Ferrari magic - acceleration! My favourite quote comes from TVFOC member Garry Forster. His young passenger told him – “That’s the first car in which my tummy went backwards!”.

More details as they become available at www.ferrarifunday.co.uk.

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pics by Jonathan Tremlett, Mick Marriott & Francis Newman