Ahoy Children in Need!

[caption id="attachment_7308" align="alignright" width="300"] Pudsey says 'Hurrah!' :)[/caption]

We have news of another virtual Link-Up!

Following last week's Children in Need preview, Newport, Rowan House and The Consortium have all been in touch with news on how they're taking part this year.

Newport's Judy Read says:

"It will be cakes / bacon rolls on Thursday and we are going to be wearing hats for the day – the sillier the better.  We will be charging 50p to wear a hat but fining people £2.00 if they don’t join in!"

...and this from The Consortium's Joanne Kent:

"We are having a Children in Need day with people invited to come in wearing spotty clothes and bringing teddies in."

... and I hear there's a sweetie stall at Rowan House with home-made honeycomb. Save some for me!

We're standing by to take on board all the pictorial evidence and news on the amount raised. If your location is also taking part, grab that camera phone now and add your news and pics! Pudsey gets an extra £20 if you do so :)

Newport Supports Children in Need

Newport ensured this year's Children in Need was supported in style last Thursday and Friday, raising £180 in the process. Judy Read reports...

[caption id="attachment_4410" align="alignleft" width="640"] Mmm... Pudsey Cupcakes :)[/caption]

Clare Hockey made some rather scrummy Pudsey cupcakes and sales went rather well. Here's Sarah Collins selling cakes to Maria in the warehouse.



However, if you prefer savoury to sweet, bacon rolls always go down a storm. Gary Cain puts the final touches to his roll. NB I prefer brown sauce too!

As well as selling cakes and bacon rolls to their Newport colleagues, some of the staff in Customer Services went the 'extra mile' and donned their PJs for the day...

[caption id="attachment_4411" align="alignleft" width="640"] All in their PJs for the day - Michelle Yalland, Sarah Melchior, Judy Read, Claire Hockey and Andrew Herbert at the front[/caption]

Newcastle and Newport's Food Filled Fun

We've got news just in from Newcastle AND Newport about their tempting foodie treats served up on the same day - 23rd May...

[caption id="attachment_3051" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Newcastle House's Chris Christie (HR Admin), Fred Napier (Day Packline Manager) and Kevin Graham (Day Packline Supervisor) trying to decide what to have from the tempting selection[/caption]

Distribution Manager Carol Inglis,  arranged a cake/bake sales day as part of Newcastle House's regular activities designed to help their local Marie Curie Hospice. Around 50 people took part and a magnificent total of £74.50 was raised.

Over at Newport tasty breakfast rolls were on the menu, personally made by Kevin Clarke (Newport Group Manager) for Phil Adams, (Southern Regional Director) plus all the Southern Region House Managers, and served up at their regional meeting.

Kevin had taken orders beforehand and the fillings ranged from just bacon to bacon, sausage, egg and mushrooms.  They must have been a big hit to raise such a large amount of money - £100.  Unfortunately we couldn’t get a photo of him in his pinny.

Kevin's efforts were in support of Newport's two From S to N cyclists, Chris Benger and Caleb Needham. I wonder if he'll give them a good start by providing a substantial breakfast when they set off on their ride? ;)

Breakfast Butties Go Down Well

[caption id="attachment_2650" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Kelly gets stuck in!"][/caption]

Hurrah, the first sighting this year of the ever popular Breakfast Buttie event has been spotted by Kelly Leech at Brislington. She reports:

Maria Newport – Brislington Group SAP HR Admin cooked up a storm recently in Brislington, providing sausage and bacon rolls for the workers, all monies raised are going towards ‘Cots for Tots’ appeal at the local St Michael’s hospital.

 £181 was raised over two days and more bacon butty days are scheduled for the future.

Looks yummy and I'm feeling hungry now!

Yeovil get in on the act

Yeovil decided to throw their hat in the ring with the car washers, and run a carwashing fundraiser of their own.  They also made bacon butties which were sold to the staff. They raised £50 in the process.  The money will go towards sponsoring Steve Elliott who completed the A-B Bike Ride in aid of Rowcroft Hospice.

Bristol Group mind their Bs....

Well, we may have thought that the Plymouth Group had devised one of the more unusual methods of fundraising, with their fishy pedicures, but really, hats off to Maria Newport, Brislington SAP HR.  Maria volunteered to sit in a bath and be subjected to a shower of baked beans, with her colleagues paying to tip them in!

As well as the baked bean bath, the Bristol Group held a 'Burst a Balloon' competition, where some of the balloons had 'You're a winner' tickets inside, and a Bacon Roll sale - not sure Maria was too hungry!  Raised so far with these events - £290 for their chosen charities.

[caption id="attachment_1073" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Brave Maria Newport 'beaning it' for charity"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1072" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Mmm, nice colleagues Maria!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1075" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Someone's a winner..."][/caption]

Bristol Group keep busy

[caption id="attachment_724" align="alignleft" width="229" caption="Check out the inscription on this bad bunny..."][/caption]

Bristol Group have had a busy April and their fundraising total is now well over £2,000. 

Most recently they held an Easter Raffle which raised £339.  And no wonder – Jon Newport, Brislington Day Pack Manager, approached local businesses for some great prizes, which included a Sat Nav, a bag of Camping Goodies and a special Easter bunny from Thorntons.

[caption id="attachment_725" align="alignright" width="188" caption="Alec Moody"][/caption]

Alec Moody, Bristol North Pack Line Manager, dressed up as a ‘Lady for the Day’.  His colleagues gave him £250 in total for the fun of seeing him in a skirt.

Dave Bellotti, Brislington Day Pack Supervisor, showed off his musical talent to everyone – he sang 3 songs in the warehouse and raised £135.  Watch out X-Factor!

They also held a sweepstake for the Grand National which raised £70, and to date the Bacon Buttie sales have reached £228.

Not bad going!

[caption id="attachment_726" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Dave Bellotti"][/caption]

Hair-raising efforts by Bristol Group

Where do the Bristol Group get their energy from?!  They’ve been steaming ahead with their fundraising events – they’re clearly a hardworking and efficient lot in the South West…

Jim Gorton, Bristol North Distribution Manager was sponsored to shave his head, raising £300, while Marc Blackford, Brislington Pack Line Manager, raised £176 from his colleagues by dying his hair pink!  Marc took his pink hair and his sponsorship form to a rugby match at the weekend and got his total up to £407 – what a hero.

Jennifer Brissett, Teleservices Operator, collected £150 from a sponsored silence (are her colleagues trying to tell her something?) and Louise Price, Teleservices Operator, revealed a second set of skills as a qualified nail technician and raised £30 by making the ladies’ (and gents’?) hands look lovely.

They also held a ‘Wear your PJs to Work Day’, which, judging from the photographs, some people took very seriously!  This raised over £90.

Melanie Eade, Warehouse Operator, very bravely volunteered to shave her head to raise money and she’s collected £500 in the process.  The first in a series of bacon roll sales kicked off on Friday too, raising £22.

Well done to the Bristol Group for their sterling efforts.  They are supporting 3 charities: Cancer Research UK, a local hospital’s baby ward and a local animal rescue centre.

[caption id="attachment_311" align="alignleft" width="240" caption="Off it goes..."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_312" align="alignleft" width="240" caption="A sign too soon - total raised now over £400!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_314" align="alignleft" width="240" caption="Quiet please! We're raising money"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_316" align="alignleft" width="225" caption="Suitable night attire"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_299" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Before the big chop..."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_313" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Oh dear, nothing left! Still that's £500 for Cancer Research UK."][/caption]