Bob has a 'Bit of a Do'

[caption id="attachment_7501" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Bob Beat giving the representatives their cheques. From left to right we have Caedmon Primary School, Cleveland Hall Community Centre and Whickham Juniors Football Club[/caption]

Newcastle's Carol Inglis has sent us this heart warming story...

Bob Beat, a Supervisor in Customer Service, has managed to do even more with his ‘Spare Time’.  He organised ‘ A Bit of a Do’ for 3 different local organisations that he is involved with - Whickham Juniors Football Club, Cleveland Hall Community Centre and Caedmon Primary School.  The total  for the night was £400 which was divided between the 3 organisations.

The Consortium Rides High for Charity

[caption id="attachment_6991" align="alignright" width="225"] Matt James, Ian Webb and Matt Redwood at the finishing line[/caption]

Following the success of their riders in this year's Paris to Swindon bike ride, we have an update from The Consortium on how their overall fundraising is going and how this is helping their chosen charity for 2013, West Wiltshire Special Needs Activity Scheme (WWSNAS).

Staff raised an amazing total of £3,734 before the ride and the cycling efforts of Matt James and Matt Redwood have added a further £295 so far. They aim to increase their contribution to £500.

Speaking about the bike ride, Matt James said:

“It was a fantastic experience like nothing else I have ever done, it was really challenging however the sense of achievement when we finished was incredible. I would gladly do it all again tomorrow if I had the chance.”

Each year, WWSNAS needs to raise £15,000 towards its operational costs, so The Consortium's efforts this year are making a significant difference.

The WWSNAS's activities includes a play scheme which runs for a two-week period during the summer holidays, giving vital support to children with special needs and their families.

This year, the scheme was able to offer 30 children in the Primary age group and 34 children in the Secondary age group at least one day on the scheme, with activities ranging from swimming and music therapy to a visit from the ‘Little Zoo’ and ‘Ticklish Allsorts’.

Gill Morris, the charity’s chair person said:

“All in all, this year was a very busy and enjoyable two weeks but without the 100 volunteers – many of whom come back year after year – as well as the co-ordinators, deputies and team leaders, we would not be able to run.  We are very fortunate to have been chosen as The Consortium’s charity of the year for 2013.”

As well as WWSNAS, Matt James, Ian Webb and Matt Redwood are raising funds for Help for Heroes, Wiltshire Air Ambulance, the Multiple Sclerosis Society and CLIC. Their combined total raised so far for all their nominated charities is £3,573.50.

Future fundraising events in the pipeline for The Consortium include a Race Night and a Christmas Raffle, with all funds raised going to WWSNAS.

Getting the Word Out

As you know Worcester and Instore have joined forces (aka Linked-Up) and produced some great updates on their fundraising activities so far this year (the actual reports are here and here).

It now transpires they even have a name for their activities: Get the Word Out. We're only too happy to oblige here on Community Link-Up :)

Range Manager Derek Hampton recently sent out a fundraising update...

So far, we have raised a whopping…

£1,072.51.

As a reminder, Vicky is doing her British Heart Foundation walk on 19th May. If you’ve not done so already, one way you can show your support is to add to her fundraising page.

You can read about why Vicky is doing her walk here. The bad weather earlier in the year meant the original walk was cancelled, though Vicky elected to do an unofficial walk anyway. Now it's nearly time for the reorganised event - go Vicky, go!

I'm sure Derek and everyone involved won't mind if some of the content is shared from their Get the Word Out Just Giving page...

Why we’re doing what we’re doing.

Smiths News MSC and Instore have joined forces this year to support two charities, Headway - The Brain Injury Association and The British Heart Foundation, as part of our 2013 fundraising efforts. Both charities have a story behind why we're supporting them and we want to raise at least £5000 between them both.

Nigel Dean

Our close colleague and friend, Nigel Dean, passed away unfairly at the start of 2012. For those of you who did not have the pleasure of meeting the legend, he was a fun-loving family man who was passionate about darts and could put a smile on the most miserable of faces. His family and loved ones were supported through their ordeal through the kindness and professionalism of Headway, the brain injury association. It is the least we can do to raise money and awareness of Headway to repay that kindness.

British Heart Foundation

The BHF is another worthwhile charity we are supporting this year. Vicky Wheeldon had a heart attack in February 2011 and received unparalleled care and support from the organisation throughout the ordeal. They are dedicated to actively reducing cardiovascular disease in the UK and provide exceptional aftercare to those that need it. The money we raise will help them save lives.

So, there you have it. A stretch target of £5000 and some compelling reasons why their fundraising is so worthwhile. £1,072.51 is a fantastic achievement so far and we wish you every success in smashing your goal later this year!

Some News from the Tow Path Tribe

[caption id="attachment_4550" align="alignleft" width="1024"] The cheque presentation[/caption]

Worcester's Tow Path Tribe have been in touch with news of the presentation they made recently to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity (QEHBC). You may remember they walked over 30 miles along the canal towpath from Birmingham back home to Worcester during the summer.

Here's their official report...

Close-knit colleagues from Smith News in Worcester completed a 31 mile sponsored walk in memory of much-loved colleague Nigel Dean.

The 13-strong team set out at 6am from Gas Street Basin in Birmingham and followed the canal towpath to Diglis Basin in Worcester, which they reached at 6pm.

The sponsored walk raised over £1,000 for the Critical Care Unit at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB) which cared for Nigel until he sadly passed away earlier this year after a brain haemorrhage.

Nigel worked for Smith News for 24 years and is greatly missed by his colleagues in the Copy Allocation department and his family, including wife Sharon and sister Jo.

Sharon and Jo both came to QEHB to help present the cheque to Anne Waller from QEHB Charity.

Sharon said: “QEHB is a wonderful hospital and the staff in the Critical Care unit were just fantastic. They were always willing to answer our questions and were always on the go, caring for patients. Although Nige lost his brave fight, the hospital did their absolute best for Nigel and I want to thank them so much. Nigel was a great Dad and husband – he crammed so much into his life. I and my boys waited for the walkers on the finish line to cheer them home - I hope the money they have raised will help other families cope with difficult times.”

As well as the sponsored walk, the team at Smith News also held a cake sale and other fundraising activities. Clare Morgan said: “Nigel was such a character with a big heart. We all miss him and our team walk was a way of remembering Nigel and the great times we had together. Many of Nigel’s clients contributed to the total - we had an amazing response.”

Erica Perkins, Critical Care Manager, added: “On behalf of the team at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, I would like to thank Smith News for their fantastic fundraising. We are planning a number of environmental improvements in Critical Care, including making our relatives’ rooms more comfortable by ordering additional furniture and hanging some new artwork. The money they have worked hard to raise will make a difference to the lives of patients and their relatives.”

As well as the pictured Certificate of Appreciation, the team also received a lovely letter of thanks from QEHBC.  NB the £1118 raised is in addition to the £2225 already donated to Acorns Children’s Hospice also on behalf of Nigel.  A fantastic achievement by the team.

Cayleb Meets St David's

[caption id="attachment_4175" align="alignleft" width="640"] Judy Read, Cayleb Needham, Sally (St David’s representative) and Andrew Herbert[/caption]

We have further news from one of our From S to N cycle riders! Newport House's Cayleb Needham recently presented the cheque for the monies raised to his chosen charity St David's Foundation. Andrew Herbert also gave a bottle of whisky as a raffle prize for a local event the foundation is holding on Friday. Cayleb raised over £800 for St David's who provide local hospice care.

It's great to hear news of the contact you've made with the charities you've been raising funds for. Any stories you have of cheque presentations, follow-up visits or how your chosen charity is using the monies raised are always welcome :)

Advice From the A to B Team

With less than 2 months to go until the From S to N challenge takes place, Dispatches caught up with some of last year's From A to B cyclists for an insight into what this year's team might expect.

Thanks goes to Ian Tallamy, IS; Mark Charlton, Communications Director; Chris Atherton, Commercial Team (all from Wakefield House); and Ian Evans (Aberystwyth) for kindly answering my questions...

Q Why did you decide to take part in last year's From A to B challenge?

• IanE: Looking for a new challenge - I think it was an age thing.


• Chris: I just thought it was a great idea. I saw it as another step in the development in the Smiths News PLC as an organisation and wanted to support that.


• IanT: I enjoy cycling. Years ago I spent quite a bit more time on the bike and wanted to get back into cycling. I had thought about setting my own challenges but when the A to B challenge came along, it fitted quite nicely with my own personal challenge of cycling more seriously and mastering greater distances


• Mark: Because my team were organising it! But also because I'd long wanted to complete a challenge ride - and Whizz-kidz are an inspirational cause

Q How much cycling experience had you had before the challenge?

• Mark: Well, historically lots - I used to race and I've ridden all over the Uk and Europe. That said, I'd not really been on my bike for five years.


• IanT: I wasn’t new to cycling but I was a bit rusty and certainly hadn’t done anything like those distances. The furthest I had cycled was about 50 miles – compared with nearly 350 miles in total (if you include the ride to the coast at the end)


• Chris: I had done one 4 day cycling trip with friends the previous year and had arranged something similar in May 2011 (6 weeks before the A-B ride)


• IanE: None

Q Did you follow Andy Cook's training plan? (if you did) How did it help? (if you didn't) How did you go about training for the event?

• IanT: Yes I did try to follow Andy Cook’s training plan. It’s actually quite a tough training plan and I didn’t manage to get all the cycling done that he suggested. For instance Andy suggested going out 4 times a week, but most weeks I only made 3 and sometimes only 2 sessions.


• IanE: No, as I’m a keen swimmer and swim a mile every day. I would cycle each afternoon for an hour to an hour and a half.


• Mark: I trained by riding to and / or from work about three times a week - simple as that! It's 25 miles each way, so it got me fit enough and was much nicer than commuting.


• Chris: No! I tried to get one decent ride in every week and used my other cycling trip as well so I got up to a few 60 miles rides pretty easily.

Q When you had a 'bad training day', what kept you motivated?

• Chris: The thought that I don’t “do bad days”!! Punctures are difficult to take though, they make for bad days…..


• IanT: Fortunately there weren’t too many of those, the weather was very kind to us training last year. I had a fixed training programme, so if I had to call off a day I would try and make it up next time.


• IanE: If I set myself a goal I tend not to give up on it.


• Mark: Beer.

 Q What was your highlight(s) of the ride?

• Mark: The camaraderie, the people who came to support us - oh, and Chris falling off


• IanT: Day 1 – having done the mountain climb and enjoy the fantastic scenery. The rest of the week , the great satisfaction of getting to the travel in at the end of day and knowing that we made it. For the whole week, it was great to see that every single person made it. There was a great team spirit, motivating each other to carry on with the ride.


• IanE: The whole experience: meeting new people and working as a team. And the elation at finishing.


• Chris: The sprints over the 5 miles of each day were always good fun if you like that kind of thing, it’s a cliché but meeting and getting to know the rest of the team was great, it was a really varied group.

Q What's your top tip for those taking part in From S to N this year?

• IanT: I’m doing it again this year – my advice would be to get practising, go for stamina not speed and practice a few hill climbs to help build up stamina and strength. Don’t get stressed about the distances, as long as you’ve put in the practice you will make it!


• IanE: Get some good training in and enjoy the experience.


• Chris: Register for it, prepare for it and look forward to it!


• Mark: You don't need to be super fit or super fast - take your time and enjoy it.

Q And one for fundraising?

• Chris: Use the JustGiving text donation service.


• IanT: Raise money for a cause you’re passionate about.


• IanE: Try and get some friends involved and help you.


• Mark: Beg, steal or borrow. More seriously, it's surprising how many people will support you and it's possible to keep fundraising after the ride too.

Q Anything you'd like to add?

• Mark: I'm doing it again this year - so it can't be that bad.


• IanE: This is a great opportunity to do something for yourself and for good causes.


• IanT: The cycle routes are well planned, avoiding most of the A road and let you take in some fantastic parts of the British countryside. The whole thing is well run and well managed, with an excellent support crew to help you along the way.


• Chris: I’ve committed to something else during the same week as S to N otherwise I’d be on it again. Disappointed that I cannot be involved and hoping it goes well. Good luck to those who take part.

Dispatches Revisits The Chalet School

[caption id="attachment_2768" align="alignleft" width="300"] Project Polytunnel![/caption]

In the summer of 2010 a team from Wakefield House' Commercial department donated their time, effort and lots of equipment towards building a working garden for children at the Chalet School in Liden, Swindon.  The school caters for up to 36 children with learning difficulties, between the ages of 3 and 11.

The team's challenge was to construct a 10ft x 30ft polytunnel to provide a space for the children to learn how to grow their own fruit and vegetables. All 36 children at the school were also given a gardening pack, containing gloves, a trowel, a fork and vegetable seeds.

As well as the tunnel and gardening packs Smiths News also donated a bench for the children to sit on and a musical wind-chime to add to the ambience.

Rachel Cook visited the school earlier this year to see how they're making use of their new resource...

The school has really benefitted from the addition of the poly tunnel, which now means they can grow a wide variety of fresh fruit and vegetables all year round. They grow anything from strawberries, onions, potatoes to tomatoes. The tomatoes have really thrived in the tunnel, and without this they may not have survived.

[caption id="attachment_2769" align="alignright" width="225"] Day 2 - Job Done :)[/caption]

Recently the children helped Ruth [the Forest School Leader - Ed] move the strawberry plants from the school’s allotment into the tunnel to be potted singly. The school plan to hold a table-top sale on (date TBC) outside the school to sell the plants to raise money for this year’s seeds.

Strawberries have been a real success in the garden – with the school over-run with them last summer! To help the children enjoy them at their best, Ruth took some home to make jam, and they also made strawberry jellies in school.

The school's head teacher Kathie Bryan said:

The addition of the poly tunnel has had a huge positive impact on the children’s learning. They are able to keep dry in all weathers, and love to spend time nurturing the plants and seeds. The tunnel has also meant we are able grow lots of different fruit and vegetables all year round - so we are never short of fresh produce!

The team at Smiths News were fabulous. We had a great day, and were thrilled when the project was completed. I’m happy to say that it’s still standing!

Getting the children involved in the garden is really important to us. It’s a pleasure to help them develop their skills and learn new things outside of the classroom.

Kathie also spoke to me about the emphasis the school places on good food, which has prompted them to get involved with the Food For Life Partnership. The school has already achieved a bronze award so is now going for gold! 

Newcastle put their best feet forward AND dig in!

[caption id="attachment_1818" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Ian Rothwell, House Manager and Marilyn Stadius, Community Champion present the cheque to Gill White, Facilities Manager at Marie Curie Hospice, Newcastle upon Tyne[/caption]

Newcastle House had the great job of handing over some of the rewards from their hardworking fundraising efforts when they presented a cheque to their chosen charity, Marie Curie Cancer Care last December.

Community Champion, Marilyn Stadius takes up the story:

Our Night Despatch and Local Systems Administrator, Nic Spencer and Scott Stevenson walked from Cumbria to the North East coast and raised over £1,000 in the process. The money raised was for Marie Curie Cancer Care and we have requested the money to be restricted to the Marie Curie Hospice in Newcastle which is our adopted charity.

Nic and Scott's walk was along Hadrian's Wall last September, which takes in some very rugged terrain at times as well as having breathtaking scenery. A great achievement guys.

Marie adds:

We send a team each month of at least four staff to the hospice to look after the Day Care garden; digging, weeding painting etc. The Hospice are happy to have the commitment of our company and look forward to our visit each month. In turn, all staff who attend the days gardening feel a sense of pride in the work they have done and the visit is a huge morale boost!

NB Marie has previously told us about their gardening activities here.

It's also worth noting that whilst their chosen charity is a national one, Newcastle House have successfully managed to ensure their contributions are felt at the local level.

Gigs and gardens for MSC

Worcester MSC have stepped it up a gear with their fundraising and community work.  They held a gig on 23 June at the Marrs Bar in Worcester in aid of their charity, Acorns.

The 3 bands - Arturo, FTB and Hades the Cat - all played for free on the night and all door donations were collected for Acorns.  The bands all had current or ex Smiths News staff as members.  They raised a wonderful £210 on the night.

[caption id="attachment_1050" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="At the Marrs Bar"][/caption]

They also got a group together to start a gardening project at Acorns.  They were asked to hire a skip and clear away 18 months' worth of garden waste!  2 skips later they'd managed to clear the debris.  The gardening project is ongoing, with the MSC 'adopting' an area of Acorns garden to upkeep on a regular basis.  They have big plans for their plot, including composting the garden waste and screening it off with a trellis.  They also plan to raise more funds to pay for fencing and some apple trees.

[caption id="attachment_1051" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Working at Acorns"][/caption]

The helpers in the garden were: Vicky Wheeldon and her sons Jamie and Sam, Mark Falcon, Darren Clark, Andy Walls, Laura McDonald, Andy Wheeldon, Tracey Harper and her daughter Chloe.

[caption id="attachment_1057" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Getting stuck in!"][/caption]

HR get baking and gardening

[caption id="attachment_919" align="alignleft" width="400" caption="Zoe Marlow, Emma Doyle and Charlotte Owen with their magnificent cake stall"][/caption]

Well done to the HR team at Wakefield House who've been very busy recently for Community Week.  They held a cake sale which raised a brilliant £200 for Leonard Cheshire Disability at Greathouse in Chippenham.

They also had a team away day at the Leonard Cheshire house, where they spent the day working in the grounds. 

They cleared away rubbish, retreated the garden furniture and planted 600 plants!

The team said: "We were just getting to the end of the potting plants, which seemed endless, when someone came along and donated another 100!  We were struggling for room in the end.  But we have since heard that all the pots are looking fantastic, so it was worth the effort.  We were very lucky with the weather and everyone had a lot of fun."

This is the second time that the HR team have visited the Greathouse to work on their garden, truly a great sense of community spirit between the team and their chosen charity.  Well done all!

Gardening in the Community

Newcastle House showed their community week spirit recently when they went to a local Marie Curie hospice to do some gardening.  Marilyn Stadius organised the outing, with 8 staff in total in attendance.

In addition to all their fundraising efforts Newcastle also wanted to do something for their community that didn't involve asking for money. They have now forged links with the hospice and intend to give their time there on a monthly basis, helping out with the garden and other projects.

Attendees on the first session were: Craig Berry, Norman Cooke, Kevin Graham, Carol Inglis, Marie Kirven, Paul Price, Ian Rothwell and Marilyn Stadius.

Gill White, Facilities Manager at the hospice said: "Thank you so much for all your efforts on Friday. The gardens look lovely and the Day Care staff and patients were so happy with the results today. It was lovely to meet you all and thanks again."

Well done Newcastle and keep up the good work!