With the support of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (then Her Royal Highness the Duchess of York) QEF was officially opened on the 27th June 1935. Originally a college to provide employment training for people with disabilities, over the years, QEF has evolved to provide vital care and support to individuals and their families. We have since built a long history of enabling disabled people to live life to the full. The number of people who will need our help will increase in the future, as survival rates from brain injury and strokes are expected to double. Our ambition is to expand and enhance our services to meet this need.

To achieve our goal, we have built and opened a new Care and Rehabilitation Centre (CRC) which offers a specialist multi-disciplinary service, all under one roof. This means that we can create person-centred support for all our clients, enabling individuals to rebuild their lives after an acquired brain injury following a road traffic accident, work or sports related injury, stroke, neurological illness or incomplete spinal injury.

Through this landmark build, QEF wants to be at the forefront of disability care, using accessible technology to support our clients through what can be a very difficult journey.

QEF has already raised over £12 million towards the total £15 million cost of the new building. The Edward Guinness Appeal was launched to raise the final £2.7 million needed to complete this project.

*Total raised to date is stated gross of fundraising costs.

In Memoriam Edward Guinness CVO support for QEF

Everyone at QEF would like to express their condolences to Edward Guinness family after hearing of his peaceful passing on Thursday 29th December 2022. He had been a long-term friend and supporter of QEF for over 40 years, being a Trustee and Chair of the Development Trust for many years.

Although he retired as a Trustee when he was 88, he continued his active and enthusiastic support for the charity. He generously put his name to our capital appeal to raise the final £2.7 million needed to complete and fully fund the new £15 million Care and Rehabilitation Centre.

This was the first new build in QEFs 85+ year history. This state-of-the-art building enables QEF to provide specialist, multi-disciplinary therapies and nursing care for those undergoing neuro-rehabilitation following a brain injury, as a result of an accident, sports or work-related injury, stroke or neurological illness.

Of QEFs work Edward said: I have a huge admiration for QEFs holistic approach to brain injury rehabilitation, a signature of their expertise, particularly when young people experience a devastating life-changing event.

Edward and his close family launched the Edward Guinness Appeal for the Care and Rehabilitation Centre in November 2019, prior to the pandemic and with no knowledge of how this would impact all our lives and our ability to raise funds. The flagship event was to be a star-studded Rugby Legends Gala Dinner at Grosvenor House. In the end this event had to be delayed by 2 years, finally taking place in March 2022. It was a great success raising in excess of £200,000.

Edward said: As a former trustee I've supported the vital work of QEF for almost four decades and I'm immensely proud to continue to do so. At this hugely exciting time in the history of QEF we are committed to supporting the development of the impressive Care and Rehabilitation Centre. A centre that will enable QEF to transform the care they can provide for those with often devastating acquired brain injuries. Please support generously, thank you.

Edward was also Chair of the Development Trust from 1993 1996 and that campaign raised £4.8m to improve QEFs facilities and as a result the quality of care and therapy that the teams could provide to clients.

The Edward Guinness Appeal also attracted generous support from individuals, corporates, Trusts and Foundations and the total raised so far is a fantastic achievement by everyone.

Edward wrote in 2019, I am aware that this appeal is my swansong. I very much hope to see this outstanding building completed within my lifetime to enable QEF to continue their vital work in pioneering ground-breaking techniques in the field of neuro rehabilitation and so transform the lives of beneficiaries for decades to come.

We consider ourselves very fortunate to have been able to show Edward the fruits of his hard work and commitment. In October 2022 we invited him and his close family to enjoy an afternoon tea and look round the Care and Rehabilitation Centre just outside Leatherhead. He met each of our lead therapists and saw clients working hard at their rehabilitation.

His legacy with QEF is significant the appeal has raised £2 million so far and Edwards impact in this cannot be underestimated. Thanks to his commitment QEF will be able to support more people to rebuild their lives after an acquired brain injury, stroke or neurological illness for many years to come.