Chris White, founder of Ideal Homes Portugal, will be making a generous donation of £3,000 in support of Operation Smile at the forthcoming Bannatyne Fundraising Ball on November 6th being held at Bannatyne Spa Hotel, Hastings.
Operation Smile is an international children's medical charity, working with a team of dedicated medical volunteers who provide safe, effective reconstructive surgery for children born with facial deformities such as cleft lip and cleft palate.
Former Dragon's Den star Duncan Bannatyne is spearheading this event and has been heavily involved in the charity since a trip to Mexico in 2013. Duncan is a celebrity ambassador for Operation Smile and has been awarded an OBE for his contribution to charity.
Bannatyne says:
"In my experience, undertaking charity work often leaves you thinking, 'there must be more I can do.' Operation Smile is different. You see first-hand a child's life changed forever by a simple operation that takes less than hour. You see the child's new smile and the happy tears of joy from their parents. As a parent myself, it doesn't get much better than that."
Chris White, who resides in Portugal and runs his award-winning agency from the Algarve, is keen to help such a worthy cause.
White says:
"I was introduced to this charity by Duncan Bannatyne (a client of Ideal Homes Portugal) and have been incredibly impressed by the work being done by teams of medical volunteers throughout the world. Operation Smile runs projects in 60 countries, with people selflessly giving their time to better the lives of children."
"In many cultures, having a child with a cleft lip is viewed as a source of shame and can lead to the whole family feeling isolated. Operation Smile can change all of that, bringing happiness to a child and their family for just £150. It is truly a life-changing charity."
White and Bannatyne struck up a lasting friendship when Duncan bought his very own Dragon's Den in the Algarve in 2014. Chris explains that Duncan has a goal to fund a full medical mission, which will see approximately 125 children's lives changed forever. The mission will take place in Ghana later this year (2015) and will be 100% funded by The Bannatyne Charitable Trust.
Anyone who wishes to donate to this fabulous charity can visit the Just Giving page: https://www.justgiving.com/The-Bannatyne-Charitable-Trust/.
For further details of Operation Smile, visit www.operationsmile.org.uk.
For more information on this project please feel free to contact Chris White on info@idealhomesportugal.com or call 0800 133 7644.
