Archived News - Fundraising
Great British Fish and Chip Supper - Friday 16th May 2014
Want to eat Fish and Chips, while raising money for charity? Hold a fish and chip supper on Friday 16th May 2014 whilst raising awareness of spinal cord injury and supporting SIA's vital services.
You can hold a fish and chip supper in your own home, at work or hold a larger supper at your local community centre.
SIA will provide a fundraising pack containing hints and tips, recipes, invitations and donation envelopes. By inviting 8 friends and asking them to donate an additional £5.00 means you will raise at least £40.00 from your supper but we will also give you additional fundraising ideas to raise even more money for SIA.
In 2014 SIA is celebrating its 40th anniversary and so we want to make the batter matter and raise £25,000 from everyone holding suppers. Last year we raised £12,500 from the suppers.
The money raised from the suppers will help the Spinal Injuries Association offer support to individuals who become paralysed and their families, from the moment a spinal injury occurs, and for the rest of their lives by providing services and publications which enable and encourage paralysed people to rebuild lives after spinal cord injury.
Every year in the UK over 1,000 people experience a spinal cord injury and there are an estimated 40,000 spinal cord injured people in the UK alone.
Community Fundraising Manager, Elizabeth Wright, says, "The Fish and Chip Supper is a wonderful opportunity for a great evening with friends and family. We are also encouraging people who work to hold a Fish and Chip Lunch in their work places to raise even more funds. You may be even a local community group wanting to run a fun evening with your group.
For more information or request a fundraising pack call Elizabeth Wright on 0845 071 4350 or email [email protected] or visit www.siafishandchips.co.uk.
News from the Lions Den
It has been another busy month for the Eaton Bray & Edlesborough Lions. The Easter Eggs that we had distributed around the villages to be raffl ed were gratefully received by the winning ticket holders and the proceeds from these raffl es raised just over £350.00 which will enable the club to purchase high viz waistcoats for Edlesborough primary school children. Thank you once again to everyone who supported us.
Our Lions Club received the opportunity to team up with the MK Dons Football club in recognition of their 'ability counts' day on Saturday 6th April. We took 85 individuals along with us to watch the match against Crawley Town. The group consisted of 10 Lions and 75 individuals with varying degrees of disability, both physical and mental.
The Dons were promoting their various disability teams and a parade from the athletes was enjoyed by all during the half time interval.
The day presented us with a number of wonderful opportunities. Initially, the ability to take these people, who would otherwise perhaps never get to see a live football game, to the match was priceless. In addition to this, being able to link up with a football team and to receive all of the subsequent promotion was an incredible boost for our organisation.
The Dons were equally delighted with the day, despite the nil nil draw, and we hope to be able to run similar events again in the future.
Our monthly free delivery service of fish and chips continues and we are delighted to report that we are picking up new recipients every month. It is wonderful to know that this small act of community service by our club is being enjoyed by so many of you by calling Rachel on 01525 229 656.
Ordinary people doing amazing things
Source: Focus, May 2013
News from the Lions Den
Summer may have been a disappointment for many of us on the weather front but we Lions have been out and about enjoying ourselves never the less.
Our 'free delivery' fish and chip trial has been a resounding success and after just two months, we made the decision to make this a regular part of our community service program. We are delighted with the number of residents who already take part in this but we are still willing and able to deliver to more people. We must say a sincere thank you to the anonymous gentleman who donated £20.00 to Lions after reading about this service. We must stress this is a community service and that the club do not make money from this, however, all donations are used towards supporting local causes. Our next delivery will be taking place on Friday 26th October. Your orders need to be placed with me by Wednesday 24th. Please leave a message on the answer phone if no-one is in.
Eyes Down – we are playing for a 'Full House'
As of Tuesday 6th November, we are starting a monthly bingo night in Dagnall Village Hall. The plan is that this will run on the first Tuesday of every month to keep it nice and simple. Starting at 7.30pm with a complimentary cup of tea or coffee at half time.
Free entry ! – just £1.00 per game
We hope to see lots of you there ....
Helping to keep our young people safe ....
As you will recall, the funds raised by the Lions at the Edlesborough carnival were used to purchase high visability waistcoats for our primary school children. At the time of writing this, our first order has been placed and we are eagerly awaiting the delivery. We plan to distribute the first batch to the Eaton Bray Academy towards the end of September before the dark mornings are back with us.
Fancy winning £20 ?
We have put together a cryptic quiz to get you thinking and to entertain you as the darker evenings approach. It is £1.00 to enter and the person who gets the most correct answers will receive £20.00. In the event of a tie-break, all winning entries will be put into a hat and one lucky entry will be drawn. The theme of this months quiz is 'Songs from Yester-years' ....all entries to be received by 31st October to be included in the draw. The quiz is available in this month's edition of Focus.
For more information on any of the above or about Lions in general please do get in touch via our website www.ebelions.org.uk.
Ordinary people doing amazing things
Source: Focus, October 2012
Chris, Ryan and Paul Ride to Paris...
Chris Rowson, Ryan Holden, Paul Dorman The three of us are riding from London to Paris to raise as much money as we can for the Institute of Cancer Research. Our reasons for doing this do differ, but one common theme is that our lives, and the people we love have all been affected in some way by this disease. Please take the time to read why we are doing this. Thank you.
Chris - Just over 3 and a half years ago my mom was diagnosed with Leukaemia. She started on a course of treatment, went into remission and started back at work. A few months after, the disease returned. She underwent treatment again, but the doctors could not cure her. My mom was so brave throughout, and showed amazing strength. Every time something gets difficult for me, thinking of what mom went through, gives me the strength to carry on. This is an opportunity for me, with your generous support, to raise money for aid the research into all types of Cancer so life saving treatments can continue to be developed. Thank you.
Paul - I've always wanted to do an event to raise money for charity and when this opportunity came around I couldn't refuse. Everyone has been affected by Cancer one way or another and it really hits home when it's someone close to you, in my case my Granddad and my good friend Ryan. To see people go through this ordeal really makes you want to do something about it. With everyone's help and generosity we can raise a large amount of money for such a worthy cause. Thank you.
Ryan - I'm doing this ride because when I was 15 I was diagnosed with Cancer. The youngest in Britain with my type. I fought this horrible disease for 2 years and was lucky enough to win my fight. I would ride to the moon and back if it saved just one more person going through what I did. So London to Paris to help towards saving millions of other is a walk in the park! Donating through the website is simple. Just click on the link: www.doitforcharity.com/chrisandryan
Our charity will receive your money quickly and easily and if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 25% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.
Many thanks for your support,
Chris Rowson, Ryan Holden and Paul Dorman
Source: Focus, June 2012
News from the Lions Den
We have now reserved our spot at St Mary's carnival in July and are busy making plans and preparations for our stall.
This year we have decided that we want to raise funds to support a local cause again. We have decided that we want to provide a service aimed at keeping our local primary school children safe when they are out and about – on their bikes, walking to and from school etc. As such, the club has pledged to raise enough funds over the next couple of months to purchase a high visibility waistcoat for every primary school child in our villages. We have been speaking with the schools to ascertain the number of children this covers and realise this is no small task, however, our aim is to have these items in the schools by the time the children return after the summer vacation! With that in mind, please come and see us at the carnival to find out how you can help and what other projects we are currently working on. Remember that every penny donated to Lions gets used to support our causes – we do not draw any administration charges from the club.
As always, we continue to look for new members. We will be out and about much more over the summer months so please do come over and say hello and find out a little more about your Lions club, how it can help your community and how you can get involved.In one of our earliest articles we wrote about the Lions message in a Bottle campaign. You may recall that his scheme is free to the user. Whilst it is focused on the more vulnerable people in our community, anyone can fall downstairs, so this scheme can benefit anyone, including you. As a minimum it will save the Emergency Services valuable time identifying you and your emergency contacts. By telling whether you have special medication or allergies or not, it is a potential lifesaver and provides peace of mind to users and their friends and families. We have secured a large batch of these bottles recently and are hoping to make them available within the community at places like the pharmacy. For more information, please do contact us by emailing [email protected] – if these little bottles make a difference to just one person we will have done something good for our community.
Tickets for Foulness Island are proving very popular so please do let us know if you are hoping to join the trip on 9th June as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.We are really looking forward to all of our events over the summer months and hope you will be able to share some of the enjoyment with us...
Ordinary people doing amazing things
Source: Focus, June 2012
News from the Lions Den
We have got a busy couple of months ahead of us with numerous events to organise and attend so we are looking forward to the opportunity to meet with lots of you over this time.
On Friday 18th May we are supporting the National Spinal Injury association (SIA) with a fish and chip super being held in Edlesborough village hall. One of our members will be delivering a talk on spinal injuries and the work the association do based on his own personal experience. Whilst Lions are often regarded as supporting worldwide causes, our primary focus is much closer to home and as this charity has helped one of our members significantly we feel we want to do something for them now. Every year in the UK over 1000 people experience a spinal cord injury. There are an estimated 40,000 spinal cord injured people in the UK alone !
Most spinal cord injuries result in paralysis and the impact of an injury can turn lives upside down. Injured people and their families are faced with the challenge of coming to terms with their injury and rebuilding their lives with a disability.
SIA offers support to individuals who become paralysed and their families from the moment the injury occurs and for the rest of their lives. Their members find this an invaluable service. So come along to support this worthy, national cause and find out more. Tickets are £12.50 which includes your fish and chips and a £5.00 donation per ticket to the charity. Tea and coffee will be available to purchase but please bring along your own soft and alcoholic beverages. Tickets for this event need to be purchased in advance so that we can order the fish and chips. Please book by no later than Tuesday 15th May. Call Rachel for more details on 01525 229 656.
On Saturday 19th May, PARADOX are coming to Eaton Bray. The cracking covers band will be recreating classic cuts like Clapton and The Culture Club through to contemporary contenders such as Coldplay, the Chilli Peppers and The Kaiser Chief's!!! Paradox is a 6-piece covers band based in Leighton Buzzard. Formed ten years ago, their mission is to get people rocking. To support this, we have a full bar license for the event to make your evening really go with a swing.
Tickets are on sale NOW and are already selling well. Priced at just £10.00 per person, bought in advance or £15.00 on the night. Doors open at 7pm. To make sure you don't miss your opportunity of a night to remember, get your tickets early by calling Rachel on 01525 229 656 or email [email protected]. For a sneak preview of their latest line up or for more details in general, please go to our website www.ebelions.org.uk
On Saturday 9th June we are running a unique day trip to Foulness island, off the coast of Essex. This island is probably more familiar to some of you as the proposed site for the third London airport during the early 1970's which was up against Wing, much closer to our homes. Thankfully talk of the airport has now ceased and in reality, Foulness island is a haven for wildlife. Situated off the east coast of Essex, separated from the mainland, Foulness reported 212 residents in the last census.
Foulness Island is predominantly farm land and is protected from the sea by a sea wall. The island's name is derived from the Old English for wild birds, and is an internationally important site for migrating and breeding birds, including avocets. During the North Sea floods of 1953, almost the entire island was flooded, and two people died.
Prior to 1922, when the military road was built, access was only available across the Maplin Sands via the Broomway, a tidal path said to pre-date the Romans, or by boat. Although public rights of way exist, the island is run behalf of the Ministry of Defence and access to the island is only permitted on a limited basis.
Through some family connections we have been grated permission to run a one day trip to the island with a luxury coach departing from Eaton Bray. The coach will take you to the island where you will be met at the 'boarder control' and given access. From here, the coach will proceed onto the island and will use the Heritage centre as its base for the day. The package includes two separate wildlife tours, one is a walking tour, the other covers a wider area of the island via a tractor and trailor – both will have wildlife experts available to answer any questions and point out sites as you tour. The Heritage centre will be open all day and a light lunch is also included. Tickets are priced at £35.00 per person and spaces are limited to 60. The MOD require a list of names for everyone attending the trip one week in advance so tickets must be purchased no later than 1st June using the booking form in this magazine or by calling Rachel on 01525 229 656. Please note, access around the island is limited to the two organised tours, you will not be able to conduct any tours without approved island guides. This really is a unique offer and one we can't guarantee we will be able to run again in the future.
Ordinary people doing amazing things
Source: Focus, May 2012
Gordon's Charity Christmas Puzzle 2011
I am very grateful for the support of many local people and for their generosity - as a result of this year's Puzzle £5,300 will be donated, to be shared equally between five nominated charities: Harpenden Child Contact Centre, Leveque School, Haiti, St Mary's, Eaton Bray, Willen Hospice and Yorkshire Air Ambulance. The total raised by the Puzzle is now £46,500 – my thanks to everyone who has helped to make this possible.
Of 324 entries this year, from as far away as New Zealand, Australia and Canada, 29 achieved full marks including a number of local people: Angie Baker, Liz Constable, Iain Stubbs, Margaret Webber & Alison Timman.
A draw, to select four winners, was held at All Saints Church, Dagnall, on 29 January.
The winners, none of whom are local, were: Mr & Mrs M J Fisher, Sally Kettle, Malcolm Moore and Brian Stone. In addition, one entry was drawn at random from among all the entries received, the winner being Peter Cook, who scored 118.5. These five winners each receive a cheque for £30.
You can register to receive a copy of next year's Puzzle at www.christmaspuzzle.co.uk.
Next year's Puzzle will be issued on 8 December.
Gordon Gray
News from the Lions Den
Youth – Challenging tomorrow today....
Lions are committed to supporting and encouraging young people to learn, to achieve and to grow. Youth projects are organised by clubs both locally and internationally.
At the international level, the influence of Lions can touch thousands of people, at a local level the needs are often immediate and personal but equally important.
One of these projects is known as the Young Ambassador award. It aims to acknowledge today's young 'ambassadors' working as volunteers and gives them the recognition they deserve. The award helps to boost their self esteem and con fi dence whilst highlighting the charities and volunteer groups with which they are involved.
Candidates need to be aged between 15 and 18 years in age.
I am delighted to be able to say that this year, we have a winning candidate.
15 year old Fiona has cerebral palsy. A disorder that can involve brain and nervous system functions such as movement, learning, hearing, seeing, and thinking. Three years ago she felt she had little to offer any one and certainly not in a sporting context. However she has since learnt that, in the right environment she excels at a number of sports.
Fiona now competes in National Boccia competitions and DSE National Athletics Championships. She has trained as a sports leader and now coaches young disabled athletes aged between 5 and 7 years old – some of whom are being watched closely by the GB Paralympics coaches.
Fiona competed against 13 other 'young ambassadors' from all over the UK. She was the youngest entrant but this certainly didn't hold her back.
When Fiona speaks, people are spellbound, both at her content and soft, gentle yet enthusiastic manner. Indeed, Fiona made such a lasting impression that she was rewarded with the 'Ship Shape' award.
THE SHIPSHAPE AWARD, sponsored by the Jubilee Sailing Trust is awarded to a candidate who demonstrates a particularly strong personal commitment and enthusiasm for their community work but who, in the opinion of the judges, would benefit from the opportunity to develop their con fi dence and their leadership skills.
JST is a registered charity that owns and operates Lord Nelson and Tenacious. Founded in 1978 off the back of a grant from the Queen's Silver Jubilee Fund, the JST owns and operates the only two tall ships in the world that have special features that enable able-bodied and disabled people to sail the ship together as equals. Tall ship sailing with the JST provides everyone the thrill and adventure of life at sea.
The award this year offers a greater opportunity than ever before.
Just 4 days before the Young Ambassador fi nals took place at Dudley this year, the Trustees and Vice President of JST made the announcement that the tall ship Lord Nelson will leave the UK in October 2012 to sail around the world.
Founder Christopher Rudd said in his announcement speech "We all know who the heroes of the JST have been over the years: those with disabilities who have put the Trust's ideals to the test...afloat, at sea, on board Lord Nelson and Tenacious. It is to these courageous characters that we give thanks tonight. Let's drink a toast to all our shipmates, especially those who have defied disabilities to challenge the elements aboard our very special and magnificent tall ships".
Lord Nelson was designed and built to be sailed by able-bodied and physically disabled people including wheelchair users, as part of a full working crew. This will be the first time that an accessible square-rigged sailing ship with a mixed physical ability working crew has undertaken a circumnavigation.
The 21 month world voyage, which JST are calling 'Sail the World', will incorporate four Equator crossings, 7 continents, 30 countries and 45,000 sea miles and is the most ambitious project the charity has yet undertaken.
The purpose of Sail the World is to give people of all physical abilities the chance to undertake adventurous ocean passages under sail. It is planned that wheelchair users will be part of the working crew for each of the 10 passages, the longest of which is 58 days and 5,800 sea miles from New Zealand to Ushuaia including rounding Cape Horn. Square-rigged sailing ships have been rounding that historic rock for centuries but this will be the fi rst accessible tall ship with a mixed ability crew to do so.
Sail the World also aims to introduce other nations to the experience of accessible sailing on a tall ship, which for many people can be a life-changing discovery of abilities they didn't know they had. Ports of call around the world have expressed a strong interest in chartering the ship for a few days, between the long passages, in order to enable their own nationals with disabilities to sail who otherwise would not get the chance. The JST hopes that people from these countries will also want to join the ship on the longer adventurous passages across the oceans of the world.
The JST ships are recognised world-wide as being unique and already there is great excitement around the globe about giving Lord Nelson a warm welcome wherever she goes.
Disabled sailor and JST Trustee Niall Tarrell said "I have been a wheelchair user since the age of twenty-one and sailing on Lord Nelson opened up a sense of achievement and opportunity that I had rarely felt before. Taking this message to the rest of the world and giving disabled South Africans, Australians, Asians and South Americans a chance to share this experience we believe will inspire people around the world".
The ship will leave in October 2012 from Southampton. Sail the World's first destination will be Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. Other ports of call include Cape Town, Singapore, Sydney and Auckland. The grand home coming will be in July 2014 after visiting Iceland.
After Fiona had been awarded this coveted prize, I was approached by the CEO of JST who said he was so impressed with Fiona that would love to give her the opportunity of taking part in one of the Sail the World legs.
Fiona now needs to decide which leg of the tour she wants to take part in so that the amount of funds required to cover her travel can be calculated.
Fiona has already been awarded a £500.00 donation from JST towards the cost of her experience but the remainder of the funds need to raised to offer her this life changing opportunity. Lions around the area are already committed to finding ways of supporting this wonderful, worthy young lady but I am hoping that she has touched the hearts of some of you reading this article too.
A Just Giving link has been created on our website www.ebelions.org.uk. Any money you pledge here will help support Fiona – if you can spare a pound then please do consider her as a worthy beneficiary.
I make no apology for feeling so passionate about this competition having metyoungsters like Fiona and so many like her, I know there are far more good young people than the small minority of bad we read about in the press.
Our next informal information evening is taking place on Wednesday 4th April at Eaton Bray village hall from 7.30pm. Full details can be found in the advert in this magazine or by calling Rachel on 01525 229 656. We would love to see some of you there.
On Friday 18th May we are supporting the National Spinal Injury association (SIA) with a fi sh and chip super being held in Edlesborough village hall. One of our members will be delivering a talk on spinal injuries and the work the association do. Come along to support this worthy, national cause and fi nd out more. Tickets are £12.50 which includes your fi sh and chips and a £5.00 donation per ticket to the charity. Tea and coffee will be available to purchase but please bring along your own soft and alcoholic beverages. Tickets for this event need to be purchased in advance so that we can order the fish and chips. Please book by no later than Tuesday 15th May. Call Rachel for more details on 01525 229 656.
On Saturday 19th May, PARADOX are coming to Eaton Bray. The cracking covers band will be recreating classic cuts like Clapton and The Culture Club through to contemporary contenders such as Coldplay, the Chilli Peppers and The Kaiser Chief's!!!
Paradox is a 6-piece covers band are based in Leighton Buzzard. Formed ten years ago, their mission is to get people rocking. To support this, we have a full bar license for the event to make your evening really go with a swing.
Tickets are on sale NOW and are priced at just £10.00 per person in advance or £15.00 on the night. Doors open at 7pm. To make sure you don't miss your opportunity of a night to remember, get your tickets early by calling Rachel on 01525 229 656 or email [email protected].
For a sneak preview of their latest line up or for more details in general, please go to our website www.ebelions.org.uk
Finally on Saturday 9th June we are running a day trip to Foulness island, off the coast of Essex. A luxury coach will be running from Eaton Bray. Full details will be provided next month.
Better still… come along to meet us at our open evening and collect your event tickets while you are there...
Ordinary people doing amazing things
Source: Focus, April 2012
Appledown Rescue - Sponsored Walk
Appledown Rescue and Re-homing Kennels - Sponsored Walk, Sunday 22nd April 2012, Choice of 3 or 5 mile routes
Register at Appledown between 10 – 12 noon. DOGS WELCOME!
For a sponsorship form please call 01525 220383 or e-mail: [email protected]
Appledown Rescue & Re-homing Kennels, Harling Road, Eaton Bray, Beds LU6 1QY
Registered Charity Number 1116848
Money Matters!
The congregation at St Mary's has the pleasure of worshipping in a beautiful, medieval, Grade 1 listed building, which will be 800 years old in seven years' time. This building however belongs not just to people who go to church but to all parishioners of the four villages of Eaton Bray, Edlesborough, Northall and Dagnall for whom it is their parish church. It is steeped in history and it is yours to marvel at and enjoy whenever you wish; it is amazing how many people do come into the church for various reasons during any ordinary day.
The down-side of owning such an ancient building however, is that it is very expensive to maintain. The stonework, a soft chalk-like stone originally mined in Totternhoe, requires tens of thousands of pounds to be spent on it every 20-30 years just to stop the building crumbling away. In addition, we have to fi nance an annual budget of around £80,000 which includes paying a diocesan quota to cover among other things, clergy salaries and pensions.
To meet these commitments, it does mean that we have to think about money rather more than we would wish and to run many fund-raising events throughout the year to pay our bills and save for future renovations; you will no doubt have attended some of them – Carnival, Open Gardens, concerts, Christmas Fayre, to name a few. But what you may not realise is that St Mary's also tries hard to be a generous church. In 2011, for example, St Mary's donated almost £15,000 to charity through events such as Carnival, collections at Christmas Services, Christian Aid concert, Harvest Auction, Poppy Prom, Gordon's Christmas Puzzle and response to natural disasters, plus also the PCC's annual budgeted charitable giving.
If you would like to help decide which charities St Mary's supports in 2012, there will be regular opportunities presented in Focus for you to make recommendations, so in addition to supporting our events, look out for these occasions during the coming year and make your suggestions to the Vicar, Churchwarden or Gordon Gray or via St Mary's website www.stmaryseatonbray.org.uk.
-- Gordon Gray & Catherine Hayden
Source: Focus, February 2012