Fundraising Gala Dinner

Join Sir Ivan Lawrence at this Fundraising Gala Dinner, held in memory of his daughter Rachel at the prestigious Inner Temple, London, EC4Y 7DA. Tickets cost £130 per person. Arrival is from 7:00pm, for a 7:30pm start and the dress code is Black Tie.



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Here is a message from fundraiser host, Sir Ivan Lawrence:

Rachel had amazing vitality and in her short life was very accomplished. She practised at the Criminal Bar for 22 years, and was responsible for a change in the law giving police officers protection when searching illegal drug users. About 600 of her legal and other friends attended her ecumenical Memorial Service at the famous Temple Church, at which film stars Frank Finlay and Michele Dotrice read poems.

Rachel was one of Cilla Black's "choosers" on Blind Date. As an under-graduate at the LSE, she played the female lead in Macbeth, Amadeus and The Cocktail Party. As a 14 year old school-girl, she won a distinction at Grade 8 at the piano, and was a southern schools chess champion.

I am always aware of the shadow over my life, but I try not to let it dominate and I just get on with things so that it doesn't defeat me. -

- Rachel, when she won the Cystic Fibrosis Achiever of the Year Award, in 1996,



There is a Rachel Lawrence prize for Advocacy at the University of Buckingham, and she left £30,000 for Inner Temple Scholarships for young barristers. An Order of St. John Award, from HRH the Duke of Gloucester, recognises Rachel’s donation of her kidneys to save the lives of two people, and two young girls, who were going blind, can now see through Rachel’s eyes.

Although not expected at her birth to live for more than a few months, Rachel lived for 45 years and this is the 10th anniversary of her passing. So far £94,000 has been raised for Cystic Fibrosis Trust in Rachel's name and I'd be delighted if you could join me on 22 September to continue her legacy.



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