Leicester Showcases Project at Heartbeat Ball

The University of Leicester has been encouraging everyone to find out more about the biggest project in the University’s history – the £42 million Centre for Medicine which will transform healthcare and medical education across the region.

During May the University staged its second Heartbeat Ball where more than 400 guests had the opportunity to show support for the University’s ambitious plans to create – for the first time in one place – a central hub for leading academics, researchers, clinicians and students.

Work is already underway for the new six-storey Centre for Medicine at Lancaster Road. This initiative represents the largest investment in medical teaching and applied research by a UK university in the last decade. The cutting-edge facility, which is due to open in autumn 2015, will be home to the University departments of Medical and Social Care Education, Health Sciences and Psychology.

The black tie ball at Athena in the city’s cultural quarter provided an evening of glittering entertainment in support of the new Centre, including a champagne reception, gala dinner, Flambé Circus and an auction for lots that ‘money-can’t-buy’. The opportunity to press the red button in a controlled explosion or to take a baking master class with Leicestershire’s own Fiona Cairns, maker of the wedding cake for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, were just two of the experiences that were bid for during the night.

Director of Development, Steve O’Connor commented: “Leicester is ideally placed to lead the training of tomorrow’s doctors, revolutionise patient care and fight chronic disease. As one of the most ethnically diverse communities in Europe with a high prevalence of chronic disease and a strong clinical and academic infrastructure; we are in the best position to lead research to improve understanding and develop revolutionary new treatments for conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, respiratory and kidney disease.”