Join Dr Dawn and friends for a fantastic night out to help raise money for charity

She makes people feel at ease whether she’s addressing patients one to one in her GP surgery or larger audiences, and by that I mean television and live ones. Dr Dawn Harper makes you feel at home. And it’s her passion for people and most of all her desire to make life better for them that endears her to so many. When she approached Cheltenham Racecourse managers to see if they would partner with her to host a special White Summer Party to give people a great time and raise money for charity, they understandably jumped at the chance.

“It was important to her that it was hosted in her home county of Gloucestershire rather than in London and we are just so excited to work with someone with a high profile like Dr Dawn,’ Lee Moulson, regional head of sales at Cheltenham Racecourse tells me.

So the date is set for Saturday July 1, the dress code is white and the invitation is open to all to join Dr Dawn and some exciting musical guests at The Centaur for her charity gala dinner.

Providing the soundtrack for the evening are The Overtones, a five-piece vocal harmony group. Their hit album Good Ol’ Fashioned Love first took the charts by storm in 2010. Discovered by a Warner Bros Records’ talent scout while working as decorators in a shop near Oxford Street singing during their tea break, their pop/soul/doo-wop style has earned them fans galore. They sold well over 500,000 copies of their first album and have followed it up with four more hit albums. It will be the band’s first visit to Cheltenham Racecourse but they have been to a similar venue.

“I am particularly excited to see The Overtones. I last saw them when they were performing at Warwick Racecourse in 2012 when I was commercial manager there,” admits Lee.

Dr Dawn’s event will be filled with glitz and glamour with a Champagne reception and three-course meal. This will be followed by The Overtones taking to the stage to entertain the crowds with their talents – something she admits she is looking forward to.

“We are really excited that The Overtones have agreed to do their first ever show in Cheltenham to support what we hope will be the most glamorous event in the Cotswold calendar.

“Join us for a champagne reception, a three-course meal with wine, and a very special performance from the band,” she says.

Known to millions for treating an array of interesting conditions on Channel 4’s Embarrassing Bodies, Dr Dawn is staging the party to raise funds for Action Medical Research, which funds research into the complications of pregnancy and prematurity.

It is a charity very close to Dr Dawn’s heart. Two of her three children were born prematurely and she is all too aware that it is previous research that has meant they have been able to grow up as healthy young adults who are now both at university.

The work of Action is far reaching and helps funding in many areas. The charity was integral in the development of the polio vaccine and it also helps to fund research into finding a cure for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a 100 per cent fatal genetic disease which kills boys in their late teens and early 20s.

“We are so pleased that Cheltenham Racecourse is able to be a part of this event and help generate some much¬needed funds for such a good cause,” adds Lee.

“Dr Dawn has planned a fantastic event and The Overtones are going to put on an amazing show for guests.

“We hope that everyone gets behind the event and helps to raise as much money as possible.”

In addition to 16 days racing, Cheltenham is also a renowned Conference and Events venue and Dr Dawn’s White Summer Party is part of an ongoing programme of top quality events which take place outside of the racing season. On Saturday, October 7, The Centaur will welcome British Comedy Award nominee Jon Richardson, as part of his The Old Man tour; and on Saturday, November 11, stand-up comic and all-round funny man Joel Dommett will take the stage. Joel, who won the hearts of the nation in his recent stint in I’m A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here, started his career as a comic in Gloucester.

Book your tickets:

Tickets for Dr Dawn’s White Summer Party, Saturday July 1, are on sale now, priced at £135 for shared table tickets or £1,300 for a table of ten.

For further information or to book tickets visit www.cheltenham.co.uk or call 01242 539538.

The menu:

Starter:

Coln Valley Tsar Salmon - Preserved Cheltenham beetroot, caramelised hazelnuts and horseradish yoghurt

Salt Baked Cheltenham Beetroot (V) - Pickled walnuts, crumbled goat’s cheese, Affilla cress, and mustard seed vinaigrette

Main course:

Pan roast supreme of English chicken - Leek and pinenut pastry, new minted potatoes, isle of weight tomato and thyme butter

Oyster Medallions (V) - Herb breadcrumb oyster mushrooms, sautéed asparagus and quinoa and roasted garlic cream sauce

Dessert:

Rhubarb and custard panna cotta - Pistachio crumb, raspberry cracker and micro cress