Dive into fundraising with Swimathon

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Make a splash with Swimathon this weekend and help raise vital funds for Cancer Research UK and Marie Curie. 

Swimathon takes place from Friday, 29th March to Sunday, 31st March and with distances from 400m to 5k, there’s a challenge for everyone.  

If you haven’t swum for a while or just starting out on a fitness programme then 400m or 16 lengths of the pool is a good place to start; if you feel you’re up to a bit more then how about 1.5k (60 lengths) or go for the landmark 100 lengths, covering 2.5k? The ultimate Swimathon challenge is the 200 length 5k, the most popular distance, you’ll need to have put in some training but you will be rewarded with a 5k medal at the end. 

New to 2019 and the mother of all challenges is the Triple 5k – yes you guessed it, that’s three times 5k but fear not it’s not all in one go – you’ll swim 5k three times on three occasions, it’s not for the faint hearted and should only be attempted if you’ve got enough training under your cap. 

If you can’t take part in an organised Swimathon session, try a session at a time and place which works for you with MySwimathon. 

There are both individual and team challenges over the three days at participating pools – there are more than 600 across the UK registered so the chances are there’s one near you – but if you can’t make one of these sessions, then why not try MySwimathon. 

You can choose to swim any time up to Sunday, 7th April  at a location that suits you. Full details about this and how you can still raise funds for Cancer Research UK and Marie Curie are on the website. 

Swimathon began in 1986 in London encouraging people to take up regular exercise and for swimmers to use their local pools. It has gone on to raise more than £48million over the years helping a variety of charities through the efforts and hard work of more than 700,000 swimmers.

To find out more and register to take part in either Swimathon or MySwimathon visit swimathon.org 

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DownRight Amazing

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As it’s World Down Syndrome Day this month (Thursday, 21st March), we’re celebrating a positive campaign this month to raise awareness and funds for a very special charity.

Teddy is a smart, funny, wonderful little boy who puts a smile on the face of everyone he meets. “He’s exactly the way he should be and we wouldn’t change him for the world,” says his proud mum Emily Reay, “but it would be nice if the world would change for him…”

Teddy (pictured) is one of 21 poster stars who, along with their families, are helping raise awareness about Down’s Syndrome (DS). Photographer Magdalena Sztechman, whose sister has Down’s Syndrome, grew up in Poland where she attended regular educational therapy groups and workshops. She wanted to create a positive picture of diversity and similar sense of community here in the UK. Last spring she photographed a sweet little girl called Cara who happens to have Down’s Syndrome and the reaction was hugely positive. “I felt inspired to raise awareness and decided I wanted to do another photo session this year,” explains Magdalena. “This cause is very close to my heart.”

With the help Sparkles, a small, parent-led support charity that offers speech and language therapy and more, 22 willing families got in touch. The resulting images of her subjects will be celebrated on social media daily from 1st March.

“People with Down’s Syndrome can achieve much more than most people can even imagine,” adds Magdalena. “The key is early intervention and extra, well-timed support. It is very important for me to ensure my own daughters understand diversity, the importance of inclusion and that they are naturally open-minded.”

Teddy’s mum Emily is delighted her son is helping to challenge outdated and negative perceptions about Down’s Syndrome. “I didn’t need a test or a doctor to tell me [that he had Down’s Syndrome],” adds Emily of his birth. “I wasn’t sure what this was going to mean for us, but he’s taken my hand and led the way. Don’t be afraid, don’t say sorry, don’t doubt him, don’t treat him differently. Only he can determine what he can and cannot do, my job is to simply provide the love and support to help him achieve his goals. The sky’s the limit.”

Sparkles was started in 1999 by a small group of parents of children with DS who wanted to be able to offer their children more speech therapy than was available through the NHS. To find out more and donate please visit www.sparkles.org.uk
Also visit www.sztechman-photography.co.uk

● Join the social media campaign @randamag will be supporting – #DownRightAmazing

visit the DownRightAmazing Facebook page

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Cycling golfers!

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Golfers’ cycling challenge to tee up funds for Against Breast Cancer 

A group of golfers are swapping their clubs for bikes to cycle 200 miles to help raise funds for Oxfordshire-based charity Against Breast Cancer. 

Starting in the early hours of Saturday, 6th April, five intrepid golfers and their support team will ride from Royal Lytham St Anne’s in Lancashire to Woburn Golf Club in Buckinghamshire, giving themselves just two days to complete the challenge before sunset the next day. 

The Las Ratas de Grendon golf society raise money each year for the charity through their annual golf tour to Spain and this year decided to add the cycling challenge finishing the day before they fly off. 

Team member Neil McCrorie says: “There will be five of us riding, ranging from ages of 29 to 59 with a wide range of cycling experience so it will be a difficult challenge for us.” 

The team have already raised £1,400 before they set off or embark on their golf tour. Over the years they have donned fancy dress while on tour, surprising many generous members of the public. 

Fellow rider Michael Vaill says: “It’s going to be tough but nothing compared to the challenge that so many have to battle against every day. Riding in memory of our mums, wives and family members who have been lost to this terrible disease.” 

Against Breast Cancer raises vital funds for research into the secondary spread, the main cause of breast cancer deaths. 

Breast cancer is the most common form of the disease in the UK with more than 55,000 women diagnosed every year. 

Las Rats de Grendon have set a target of £2,000 for the ride. 

Sponsor them at www.justgiving/fundraising/las-ratas-de-grendon-golf-society

See how they get on over the April weekend on their Facebook page

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Family Runners

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Pictured, from left: Lizzie, Mark and Emel

Relatives join forces to help boost Harrison’s Fund at Surrey Half Marathon

Four members of the same family are all donning their trainers to run this year’s Surrey Half Marathon in aid of Harrison’s Fund. 

Husband and wife, Mark and Lizzie Holifeld and Emel Holifield, all from Oxford, are running on Sunday, 10th March, with Mark’s cousin Maxine Foster from Horsham whose son, Austin, was diagnosed with Duchenne in 2015. 

Harrison’s Fund was set up in 2012 and funds research into Duchenne – a rare genetic condition which causes the muscles in the body to waste away. 

Harrison’s Fund’s goal is to get as much money as possible into the hands of the world’s best researchers, who are working to find a cure for Duchenne. The charity is currently funding 16 research projects in the US and the UK. 

Lizzie, 30, said: “We are all looking forward to the challenge and being there together to raise money for this fantastic cause. The team spirit is really what gets you through as well, of course, hearing all the cheerers and seeing our gorgeous Austin and his sister, Ava too. 

“We started our training at the end of December when we were on holiday in California, and although it’s a slightly different weather, we’ve are committed to keeping it up in the UK. 

“We know that Harrison’s Fund are working so hard to raise as much money as possible for researchers to put an end to this horrible disease and we want to help! It truly is a fantastic charity and we feel honored to be part of the team taking on the Surrey Half.” 

This isn’t the first time the husband and wife team have fundraised for the charity. They have raised £2,864 so far running the Oxford Town and Gown 10k, the Brighton Marathon and the Blenheim palace 7k in the past. 

Emel, 46, who is married to Maxine’s cousin, added: “Austin’s diagnosis was a shock to all of us. I have a daughter only one year older than him and I could not imagine how they feel. But Maxine and her husband, Steve, have shown incredible courage and strength to fight with it to give their son and the other children hope. 

“I am looking forward to running in a large group with my family and it’s always fun to see other fellow runners, I just hope I can go the distance and the weather stays mild and dry!” 

The Surrey Half Marathon takes in 13.1miles of Guildford and Woking countryside. 

Laura Morgan, events fundraiser at Harrison’s Fund said: “It’s great to have families run together as we are a real family-orientated charity and Max and her family have been such huge supporters of ours over the years it’s a testament to her commitment that they are back once more putting themselves through the paces for us.” 

  To support the family visit give.everydayhero.com and if you live in the Guildford or Woking area why not go out and cheer them and the other runners on! 

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Let’s Sing: The Hexagon

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Photo credit: Reading Arts

Choirs to battle it out for Mayor of Reading’s Let’s Sing 2019.

A “fantastic night of entertainment” is promised when 14 local choirs sing their hearts out to be the Mayor of Reading’s Let’s Sing champion 2019. 

Six youth and eight community choirs will be battling it out for the trophy at The Hexagon on Wednesday, 6th March.  

The youth choirs are: Calcot School Choir, Crosfields Chamber Choir, Jewel Tones, JMA Performing Arts, St Anne’s Primary School Choir and St Martin’s Glee Club.  

The line up for the community choirs is: Arborfield Military Wives Choir, Acquired Taste, The Barberettes, Reading Borough Council Staff Choir, Reading Community Gospel Choir, Readiphonics, Time to Sing Choir and Wargrave Community Choir.  

A winner will be chosen in each category and an overall Let’s Sing champion.  

Proceeds from the show will go to Mayor Debs Edwards chosen charities for the year – Berkshire Women’s Aid, Launchpad, Berkshire West Your Way and the YMCA. 

Cllr Edwards says: “We have got an outstanding selection of choirs taking part in this year’s Let’s Sing final. I think my fellow judges and I will have our work cut out selecting the winners. 

“It is going to be a fantastic night of entertainment and I would love to see The Heaxgon packed with supporters and music lovers enjoying the show and raising money for the Mayor’s Charity Fund.” 

The final starts at 6.30pm and tickets are £9.50, concs £4.50, family ticket £20.

  To book call the box office on 0118 960 6060 or visit www.readingarts.com

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Great Daffodil Appeal

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Do you bit for the Great Daffodil Appeal and help Marie Curie this March.

If spring makes you think of daffodils then how about joining the Great Daffodil Appeal collection in March in aid of Marie Curie. 

The charity which offers care and support through terminal illness is asking people to help out either through fundraising or joining in the collection effort. 

One of the UK’s most recognisable charity appeals, through the bright yellow daffodil pins, they are asking if you can spare just two hours of your time to help make a big difference. 

Marie Curie can offer a wide range of help and advice on how to go about collecting and making the most of the experience. 

If you prefer to help out in other ways, then how about challenging yourself to walk 10,000 steps every day in March and get your family and friends to donate as you ‘Step into Spring’. It’s a great way to feel good, improve your own fitness and do something amazing for those with a terminal illness. 

Did you know if you walk 10,000 steps every day during March you’ll have covered 150 miles that’s the equivalent of walking from the Brighton Pavilion to the Bull Ring in Birmingham? 

The origins of the charity began in 1948 when the Marie Curie International Memorial was established, it went on to become the Marie Curie Memorial Foundation which then launched an appeal, bringing in £4,000 and Marie Curie’s daughter gave permission for her mother’s name to be used. 

The charity started its work in earnest in the 1950s with residential homes being opened, help given to patients at home and medical research. 

It has continued to grow over the following decades and it now provides care and support for more than 50,000 terminally ill people and their families through its 2,100 nurses. 

  Click here to find out more about how you could help and join In the Great Daffodil Appeal.

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Ronald McDonald House

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Martin Keown kicks off building with twins, Finley and Billy Kearns, and mum and dad, Laura and Robert.

Former Arsenal and England star Martin Keown has helped kick off building at the new accommodation for families with seriously ill children in Oxford. 

The footballer from Oxford broke ground at the new 62-bedroom Ronald McDonald House on the John Radcliffe Hospital site on Wednesday, 6th February. The house will provide families with free accommodation while their children are being treated to save them having to go to and from the hospital. 

Among those at the ceremony were two-year-old twins Finley and Billy Kearns, whose parents Laura and Robert spent more than four months at the current house after the twins were born prematurely. Billy needed surgery to reverse a stoma. The £14million facility is due to open in summer next year with 62 en-suite bedrooms and communal living facilities, including kitchens, lounges, playrooms, laundry rooms and a garden. 

The current 17-bedroom house has experienced a rise in demand over the last 15 years and while last year it accommodated 600 families, it had to turn a further 300 away. 

Ronald McDonald House Charities has raised £9million, Oxford Hospitals Charity has added £2.5million, Children with Cancer UK is donating more than £280,000 and McDonald’s employees and customers has raised £1.5million. A further £1million is still needed to fit and furnish the house and the charity is looking to the local community to help them in this fundraising effort, as well as for volunteers to help get the house ready and provide support.

CEO of Ronald McDonald House Charities Jon Howard said last week they were delighted to begin the expansion work. Thanking all those who have helped, he added: “We know from research it is beneficial for the health of family members and their child to keep them close together, and that comfortable and supportive accommodation nearby is a key enabler in this process.” 

Head of the paediatric psychology department Dr Karen Steinhardt with the range of services available at Oxford, families are increasingly travelling from further afield for treatment. She said: “This new accommodation at Ronald McDonald House Oxford will allow more families to be close by in the hospital grounds. 

“It will allow them to get more rest and sleep, eat properly and lead as normal a life as possible ad importantly, feel able to make the best decisions about their child’s health.” 

The new building will be open to families with children being cared for at Oxford Children’s Hospital as well as Children’s Critical Care and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit on the John Radcliffe site. 

Picture credit: Richard Cave

  Read more about the Ronald McDonald House Charity

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Fundraising superhero: Oxfordshire charity Play2Give

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Changing, transforming and saving lives – that is exactly what one young Didcot fundraising stalwart has done tirelessly without pause for half of his life.

Last year was extra special for fundraising superhero Andy Baker. On the day he turned 30 he celebrated at The Queen’s Garden Party at Buckingham Palace and the organisation he founded, reached the £100,000 mark, his long-held dream.

Play2Give was launched in 2007 to say thank you for the help he received on two occasions in his life at the John Radcliffe Hospital. Andy fought for life in the Special Care Baby Unit and again, aged 12, after brain surgery.

The money raised by Play2Give over the years helped fund the building of Oxford Children’s Hospital. Recalling the support he received since his school days at St Birinus, he says: “Everybody has backed me from the beginning of my charity crusade – it’s such a team effort. I love helping those who are less fortunate, it’s been half my life.

“Being nominated last year to attend The Queen’s Garden Party was one of the highlights of my life and a lovely way to mark all I do to put my all back into giving to society. To share such a special day with my mum [Ann, pictured above], and up to 8,000 others was a humbling experience.”

The trip to the palace came on the back of him being honoured with a British Citizens Award in 2017 for his “exceptional endeavour”. It was also a memorable year in which a patient room for teenagers at the Children’s Hospital was named after the group in recognition of its efforts.

Play2Give now has its sights set on sponsoring a family room at £5,000 within Ronald McDonald House which provides accommodation for families of sick children while they are in hospital.

And if that weren’t enough, the group also provides funds for Headway Oxfordshire which supports people like Andy with acquired brain injuries – another cause close to his heart. Footsteps, Off the Streets, Be Free Young Carers and SeeSaw also benefit from Play2Give’s efforts.

But Andy acknowledges he couldn’t do it without the help and support of the community who join in his events which this year include a summer fayre on 3rd August in Edmonds Park, Didcot; a black-tie ball at the end of September at the town’s Civic Hall; golf days and your chance to show off your singing, dancing, juggling or comedy skills at Didcot’s Got Talent. Initial auditions are on Sunday, 24th February, at 10am at the Cornerstone with the final show on 29th June.

Inspirational Andy hopes to raise £15,000 through this year’s efforts.

 To find out more and how you can help, visit www.play2give.org.uk

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Gift of giving: Oxfordshire charity champion

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We chat to Didcot heroine Courtney Hughes who has set up a new befriending service for her local community and needs your help!

Love is the vital ingredient that helps community projects take off and gain momentum and Courtney Hughes BCAv has felt a lot of love this year.

The Didcot teenager, who works at Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital acute admissions unit, has had a phenomenally busy year by anyone’s standards, including accepting an invitation to a certain wedding in Windsor. “The Royal Wedding was this year’s the highlight for me,” says Courtney. “It was a day I was so glad to share with Mum as she supports me so much all year. We were humbled to be surrounded by so many inspirational people who do good in their community. It does drive you to carry on when you meet like-minded people.”

Courtney, who also suffers from acute ME and was regional runner-up in the Pride of Britain Awards., founded the Secret Santa charity in 2014 inspired by her great grandmother. She wanted to brighten up the lives of those who find themselves on a hospital ward, especially at Christmas, and set about collecting gifts for poorly, elderly and vulnerable people. She has been bowled over by the response to her project and now the charity operates all year round.

Courtney subsequently launched The Secret Santa Hands of Friendship last month. “This is a new befriending service which will be carried out by my team of volunteers,” she says. “They can offer a friendly chat, a cup of tea and a social meet-and-greet. Anyone who is vulnerable, whether elderly or in need, or knows someone who is, can email us.”

This year, Courtney has furnished another two properties for women moving out of local emergency refuge accommodation and is hoping to extend this to neighbouring counties.

Volunteers are urged to get in touch and donations of new toys, toiletries, books, knitted items, non-perishable food, crafts, vouchers, DVDs, games and more are urgently needed. Drop these at Didcot Street Fair on 29th November, SOHA Housing Didcot, Element Six Harwell, K&K Printing and Embroidery Didcot, Innovation Centre Milton Park, Cornerstone, Boundary Park GWP Didcot, Sainsbury Didcot (1st December), Morrisons Carterton (from December) and the Christmas Gift Fayre in the Civic Hall on 17th November or get in touch to arrange collection.

Courtney is also planning her homeless outreach, charity shopping afternoon on 25th November at the Marlborough Club, 12-5pm raising money for AAU and Didcot Hospital and the wrapping party on Sunday, 2nd December.

If you’re a local business, Courtney would love to hear from you about sponsorship to help her continue. Please follow @charitysecretsanta on Instagram and Facebook and @SantaCharity on Twitter.

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Side by side: Fulham Good Neighbours

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Chris Mikata-Pralat explains how Fulham Good Neighbours have been helping the community for over half a century – and how you can return the favour.

For those of us used to getting everything done via the multitude of apps on our phone, the idea of asking a neighbour for practical help might seem old-fashioned.

Many of us would like to know our neighbours better but do not know where to start. Fulham Good Neighbours is an award-winning local charity that has been linking people in need of help with those who can offer it for more than 50 years.

Those seeking support are usually members of the fourth generations: older people in their eighties and nineties. Those offering it come from all walks of life: from university students, via city professionals to retirees. What unites them is the desire to make Fulham a friendlier, more neighbourly place to live in.

Requests for help vary from changing a light bulb or putting together flat- pack furniture to garden clearances and decorating. The charity also offers befriending, digital inclusion and a range of relaxed social clubs to get local pensioners out of their homes. In recent years, they took over organisation of the annual Parsons Green Fair.

The work of Fulham Good Neighbours is possible only thanks to the dedication and support of nearly 100 volunteers, some of whom have supported the charity since the 1970s.

Whether you are a local business or individual offering or seeking help, contact them today to see how you could get involved and make Fulham a community where neighbours look out and care for each other.

Call 020 7385 8850, follow @FulGdNeighbours and FulhamGoodNeighbours (Facebook), email [email protected] or visit www.fulhamgoodneighbours.org

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