Wear your Red Nose with Pride!

Can you believe the first Red Nose Day, aka Comic Relief, took place in 1988?

Crikey, that made me feel old when I looked it up! Of course it makes sense because Live Aid in 1984 kickstarted the whole idea of mass fundraising events in the UK, and others were bound to follow.

That first Red Nose Day raised £15 million as apparently more than 30 million people tuned in to watch the likes of Black Adder and the Young Ones.

Since inception, £1,068,416,012 has been raised for charities (this sum also includes amounts from Sport’s Relief events). The single most successful fundraising year was 2011, when £108,436,277 was collected.

That is a staggering amount of money raised by the British public, but I can’t help but wonder if this year will be (in comparison) disappointing as the cost of living crisis continues to bite. Last year’s total of £42,790,147 was the lowest since 1999 - I think this year’s total will be lower still.

So where does all this money go?

Well, according to the Comic Relief website, the money raised has helped to support 11.7 million people worldwide. In their 2021/2022 accounts, 54% of the grants made during that financial year were to UK based charities and individuals, although in previous years, it does seem to have been slightly tipped in favour of overseas operations.

So what can YOU do to help with this year’s fundraising on Friday 17 March?

The easiest (and quickest) way would be to purchase one of the “new” red noses; they are on sale, priced at £2.50, from the Comic Relief website (although when I wrote this article they were out of stock!) and on Amazon. This year’s noses are a little different to past years as they are partially made of paper - opening up from a flat crescent (easy to post) shape into a honeycomb-paper sphere.

If you want to get more involved and have more fun, why not organise a “bake-off” at your place of work? Or have a dress up /dress down/ fancy dress/ dress in red day at your school, work, or college.

Maybe you could organise challenges, be they physical ones like running/ jumping/ skipping/ swimming, or more cerebral such as quiz nights. There are lots of different ways to fundraise, but for Comic Relief, the funnier, the better!

Of course, you could simply head to the website at any time or call /text on the day of the TV show and pledge however much you can afford.

Whatever you do, have fun and remember any donation is better than none - and if you would rather give directly to a local charity, I am sure they would be VERY grateful.

Toddler Group: Meets every Wednesday during term time between 10am -11:30am. Craft, drinks and biscuits provided.

Explorers: Meets every Thursday evening during term time between 6pm -7:15pm. Suitable for all primary aged children.

Who Let the Dads Out?: Meets on the last Saturday of each month at the Holmgate Community Centre from 10am-11:30am.

Gospel in the Passover

See how the Jewish Festival of Passover foreshadows our Messiah’s sacrifice. Good Friday 7th April 2023, 7:30pm.

Easter Treasure Hunt

Journey around the Holmgate Estate finding out about the Awesome Easter Surprise. Saturday 8th April 2023, 10am -2pm.

Easter Sunday Morning

Come and celebrate the RISEN Jesus Christ! Suitable for all the family to attend. Sunday 9th April 2023, 10:30am. Why not visit us at www.holmgatechurch.org

EVERY LITTLE HELPS!

Clay Cross Parish Council and Tesco Clay Cross Community Champion, Nicole Murtagh will be hosting a Coffee Morning on Monday 20 March 2023 from 11AM – 1PM at Clay Cross Social Centre. Part of Nicole’s role is to help promote the Tesco Community Grant scheme and she is looking for any group/organisation from the Clay Cross area to apply. The maximum amount that can be applied for is £1,500 and it will be voted on in the stores with blue tokens. We look forward to seeing you but if you do require any further information, please contact Nicole direct on 07544 139720 or email UK6265@tesco.com

RING FOR THE KING!

The Coronation of the King and the Queen Consort will take place at Westminster Abbey on Saturday 6 May 2023. In preparation for the Coronation, a national call has been made to recruit thousands of new bell ringers to ring in the new King. There are about 38,000 bells but only 30,000 ringers in the UK. The Central Council has said that while a swell of new recruits in time for the Coronations would be fantastic, “we hope that people find this new hobby, skill and social activity something they would want to continue beyond the 6 May”. St Bartholomews Church on High Street, Clay Cross are looking for people who would be happy to ring. Full training will be given but, it needs to start soon! Interested? Contact Rev Richard Clark direct on 01246 250002 or email NWteamrector@outlook.com

CX21 WARM SPACE!

CX21 Youth Club continue to provide a warm space to hang out at every Monday (term time only) from 6.30PM – 8PM for 11-17 year olds at Clay Cross Social Centre. We have some great activities including music, arts & crafts, pool, jewellery making, Xbox and Wii consoles, chill out zone and a well-stocked tuck shop. Also, Extreme Wheels Roadshows come along every week with a new activity to try. ALL ACTIVITIES AND ENTRY FREE!