17 minute read
Charities
Riding for Mike and the RNLI
PHiL Bindon is planning a 200-mile cycle ride from Westonsuper-mare to Padstow, visiting lifeboat stations on the way, to raise funds for the RnLi. it’s in memory of his son, mike, aged 23, who was swept away by a freak wave while fishing off the Cornish coast on January 22nd, 2014. Phil, from Bleadon, is hoping to raise £10,000.
He said: “The RnLi and air support were on the scene within 15 minutes. They never found him and my life changed that day, forever. But back to 2020, i had a lightbulb moment. i wanted to raise awareness again and help the RnLi.”
He took up cycling while furloughed from work and raised £700 for a cancer charity. He will start his Ride your Bike for mike from Weston on Saturday, may 8th at 10am.
Some of his colleagues from Edenstone Homes, where he works as a project manager, will join him on the first leg to minehead. They include Chris Edge, Steve Barley and mike Huddlestone. others joining him for the challenge include matt groves, Liz Porter, Richard goddard-Jones, Alan Jackson and Alex Walker.
After minehead the ride takes in ilfracombe, Port isaac and Padstow.
Philip Bindon is fundraising for RNLI –Royal National Lifeboat Institution (justgiving.com)
Supporting the RNLI
THERnLi is expecting a busy summer, with so many people taking holidays at home, and with fundraising activities hit by the pandemic it has launched a spring appeal after dipping into its reserves to maintain services last year. in 2019, RnLi volunteers saved 374 lives and helped over 38,700 people. The Chew Valley Fundraising Branch is supporting the appeal. it’s also looking at the possibility of an event, possibly partly outdoors, in September and has provisionally booked Ubley Parish Hall for their Curry Lunch on Friday, november 12th.
Tall ships adventure thanks to STAR
A TEEnAgE girl from the mendip area has been given the chance to sail on a tall ship thanks to the Somerset-based young people’s charity STAR.
Anna (not her real name) will become part of a Tall Ships Youth Trust crew for her Duke of Edinburgh challenge.
The main aim of STAR – Somerset Trust for Arts & Recreation – is to raise funding to enable many disadvantaged and vulnerable Somerset children and young people the opportunity to participate in activities and experiences which is often denied to them through poverty and, sometimes, dysfunctional lifestyles.
Helen Bown, STAR’s development officer, said: “many of these young people typically have lower self-esteem, fewer social skills, achieve less at school and are at a higher risk of social exclusion and being involved in anti-social behaviour.
“STAR’s funding helps to address this and a typical request for help is for a child to attend a social club or arts and drama clubs. Recently we have had requests to help with children’s mental health affected by Covid and we have funded horse therapy sessions and gym memberships. Activities which most young people take for granted but for those less fortunate, activities which remain out of reach.”
Anna, 13, is one of ten young people in the county to be helped with their bronze DofE challenges. Helen added: “Covid-19 has affected STAR’s funding considerably and we now have to think of imaginative ways to raise the muchneeded funds to be able to meet all our referrers’ requests at a time when young people are facing extraordinary levels of youth unemployment, they are feeling excluded and mental health issues are on the rise.”
One of the Tall Ships Trust fleet
Portrayal of a pandemic –an exhibition
FRomE-based for the exhibition with 30 of the best submissions going to a befriending charity public vote in June to choose 12 images to be published in the Active and in Touch has charity’s 2022 calendar. Portrayal of a Pandemic will take place opened submissions for in September at Black Swan Arts, Frome Town Hall and other an art exhibition called venues to be confirmed. Portrayal of a Active and in Touch says: “Since march 2020, individuals, Pandemic. families and the community have experienced a whole range of The exhibition is part emotions and challenges including, grief, fear and greater of the tenth anniversary loneliness resulting from restrictions and concerns for the celebrations for the future. charity which helps “There have also been so many uplifting times with heart combat loneliness and touching experiences, the kindness of strangers and the beauty isolation in the of nature. community and is the “Active and in Touch is asking for people to share these brainchild of Di experiences and the feelings they evoked with others as a Roberts, Active and in lasting testimony and an affirmation of better times ahead. Touch co-ordinator. Being creative has been a support for many people already and Entries are now open All forms of art are welcome including hopefully more will be inspired to unlock their creativity and send their work for the exhibition.” paintings, mixed media, photography, textiles, sculpture and Entry is free but artists will be asked to consider making a also poetry. The exhibition is open to all with three age donation to the charity if their work is sold. Artists should categories: under-12s, under-18s and adults. submit work by emailing a jpeg photograph by Friday, June 4th
Artwork will be selected by an invited panel of guest judges to events@activeandintouch.org
For details, visit: www.activeandintouch.org/events-information/
Charity plant sale
gREEnHoUSESare filling up in East Harptree as people grow seedlings and plants in readiness for the annual Christian Aid plant sale.
This annual sale was started by Hazel Rider (pictured) and Jane Bagott 18 years ago. This year, because of the pandemic, there will be no house-to-house collections for the charity.
Hazel said: “We are hoping to have a pop-up plant sale from 10am until 4pm on Saturday, may 15th, which will be held outside St Laurence’s Church in East Harptree.”
Hazel and others are busily growing vegetables, annuals, and perennials for the sale but said that if anyone has any seedlings or are dividing up perennials to keep the plant sale in mind or take any spare plants to the sale on the day.
Rotary aid for Yemen
WATERSurvival Box, the charity of Chelwood Bridge Rotary Club, has sent a further consignment of 200 boxes to the Yemen with the help of the Jubilee outreach York Trust. They recently left its midsomer norton depot for Shipley in Yorkshire, where they were loaded on to a container for the Yemen Rotary president, Tony Quinn, said: “This is the second such distribution the charity has made to the Yemen with the help of JoY. one hundred boxes were delivered in January.
“The Water Survival Box provides essential items for victims of disasters, natural or man-made and its most important feature is the grifaid Water filter which provides up to 100,000 litres of safe water when water systems are damaged, polluted or nonexistent.”
Taking steps to beat cancer
PAULCharlton of Connaught Freemasons Lodge in midsomer norton, has completed his fundraising challenge for Cancer Research UK, walking 10,000 steps every day in march. in total he walked 343,783 steps, 262 km, losing 4.5 kg in weight. At the start Paul set himself a target of raising £250; however, he has now exceeded £1,000, helped by a £200 donation from lodge’s charity account.
Details: https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/paulswalk-all-over-cancer-fundraising-page-120
The blood donor
Adrian Jay (right) with his music partner John Newcombe
WEare all getting used to a jab in the arm now that the Coronavirus vaccine is being rolled out but imagine being jabbed in the arm 400 times! This total will be reached this summer by Adrian moore, former BBC Radio Bristol presenter Adrian Jay, who lives in East Harptree.
Adrian started giving blood in his 20s and has made 392 donations since 1972. He said it takes an hour to extract the amount of plasma and platelets that can save the lives of up to six children and one adult with cancer and/or leukemia. He says that it only takes a couple of days to get your blood back up to what it usually is.
Adrian, who was 70 on April 25th, had booked the East Harptree Theatre but has postponed celebrations until later in the year.
At 19, although still running a mobile disco, he started working at the BBC, joining them in 1972. on new Year’s Eve 1992 he did his last mobile discotheque show and in April of 1993 left the BBC to start a production company making radio and TV commercials.
Thirty years on and he is still giving platelets and plasma every month at Southmead Hospital.
Jamie’s going the extra mile
FiTnESS instructor Jamie Curd is in training for an ultramarathon with a difference at the beginning of may for Fromebased charity Active and in Touch.
Jamie – known as “Jay” – will be attempting the 4x4x48 Challenge for the charity which aims to combat loneliness and isolation. The challenge is a gruelling endurance feat which has been popularised in recent years by ex-US marine David goggins and involves completing four miles every four hours for 48 hours.
Jamie, who lives in East Woodlands and runs nCR Fitness, will be running a four-mile multi-terrain route around Longleat Woods on Saturday, may 1st and Sunday, may 2nd. He said: "Active and in Touch works to support people who suffer loneliness and isolation, this through the circumstances that life has thrown at them including caring for a partner for years, moving to a new area, mental health needs or just not feeling confident to try new things alone. "As some of you know, i have suffered with social anxiety, lack of confidence and low self-esteem, making it difficult to connect and maintain friendships so this is a cause i can relate to and am willing to go the ‘extra mile’ for."
Jamie is hoping to raise £480 for the charity. Local runners are welcome to join him for a socially distanced lap during his attempt.
Jamie Curd in training for his 48-hour challenge
Walk for welfare is big step in the right direction
moTHER and daughter duo Emma and Annabel Aitken have raised more than £6,000 for a small charity helping schoolgirls in Kenya by walking the 117-mile mendip Ring, which roughly follows the mendip District Council boundary.
The pair, from Butleigh, took six days to complete the route using a network of existing footpaths designed by members of mendip Bridleways Association.
Emma, aged 35, and Annabel, aged 12, had set an original target of raising £4,600 for St Peter’s Life-Line, a small charity founded by David Baldwin in the Kajuki region of northern Kenya.The charity works to support education, clean water, sanitation and healthcare by various community projects.
Emma and Annabel are fundraising specifically to support LifeLine’s work to reduce period poverty, where women simply cannot afford the cost of sanitary protection. in this community, where female genital mutilation is traditionally undertaken, girls often have to miss school for one week each month once their periods start. if the girl has to leave school completely then early, arranged marriage is commonplace. The money raised will provide the material needed to make and provide more than 120,000 sanitary pads. The charity has already built a small factory and provided micro-finance to allow local women to be employed to make the pads for free, or at cost, for local girls. Annabel, a student at Crispin School in Street, Time to rest: Annabel and Emma has given presentations to with flowers presented to them by schools about the work of David Baldwin St Peter’s Life-Line.
THE inner Wheel Club of Wrington Vale has made a £100 donation to the medical charity Detection Dogs after watching a Zoom presentation by Joanne gardiner, one of its representatives.
DD, nicknamed “Super Sniffers”, uses dogs to detect bladder cancer and other illnesses – currently there are 16 dogs working solely on recognising signs of Covid-19. Some of the dogs used by the milton Keynes-based charity work using samples and live with their trainers; others are alert assistance dogs and live with people who have lifethreatening conditions.
Easter Monday: Emma and Annabel were joined by charity founder David Baldwin (left) and friend Elspeth Ryler (far right) for the start of their walk from Butleigh village green
Glastonbury Tor is in the distance as the pair stride out
Wellwishers turned out in force to greet the pair on their return to Butleigh after six days of walking
For details, visit: www.stpeterslifeline.org.uk • Emma Aitken is fundraising for St Peter's Life-Line (justgiving.com)
Club’s donation to “super sniffers”
Annual meeting held online
mEmBERS, trustees, staff, parents and carers attended the annual meeting of the Westfield-based charity SWALLoW via Zoom.
SWALLoW supports local teenagers and adults with learning disabilities and more than 50 people took part in the event. The charity says members have been adversely affected by Covid as disruptions to normal routines and health vulnerabilities caused anxiety and concern. it has been offering help and support throughout and a huge thank you at the meeting went to SWALLoW staff for their dedication and care.
Stephen Barran, chair of trustees, said: “it was lovely to see so many people come together at the Agm to celebrate SWALLoW’s achievements over the past year, the going has been tough at times but everyone has pulled together to make sure SWALLoW members get the support they need. i am very proud of the whole team.”
The charity’s AGM underway
For details about SWALLOW visit: www.swallowcharity.org call 01761 414034 or find them on Facebook
Sea shanties in Weston
New image for young people’s mental health charity
WESTon-super-mare’s very first sea shanty and folk music festival is taking place along the seafront from August 6th-8th raising funds for the local RnLi and the Lions Club. it’s being organised by one of Weston’s own shanty bands, The Steepholmers, with the support of north Somerset Council, Weston Town Council and The grand Pier. organisers say: “The festival is set to be a major event in the South West music calendar and after the challenges of the past year, brings an opportunity for everyone to enjoy live music in a safe and family-friendly way.” more than 50 bands from all over the UK are set to appear free of charge, with free admission to all venues. All those attending will be able to donate at any of the collection points across the town throughout the weekend.
Sea shanties have long been very popular as a key part of Britain’s unique folk music scene. now there are sea shanty bands all over the country and the scene is growing year on year, providing good toe-tapping fun for all the family.
Details: https://wsmshantyfest.com/ http://bit.ly/WsMShantyFest2021#wsmshantyfest
A PRoJECT aimed at helping young people with mental health issues in the Cheddar Valley is celebrating its first anniversary as a charity by launching a new image and a new telephone counselling service.
The Space was initially formed in 2017 by The Cheddar Community Partnership and as part of their organic development it became a charity in 2020. it offers counselling, a weekly youth club, activities and information services for young people aged four to 18 years experiencing mental and emotional distress.
The telephone service is for parents or carers whose children and young people are experiencing poor mental well-being. Trustee John Pimblott said: “The Space has been on an amazing journey and our services have grown quickly due to our ambition to provide a community of support around our children and young people.
“The pandemic has highlighted the need for a range of services to children and young people, offering support in the early stages of mental health issues and we have risen to that challenge. “The Space is a forward, modern thinking charity and as our services have developed so has the opportunity for us to have a logo and brand that A new look for The Space defines who we are.”
Green traveller on Mendip
RECENTLY I active”, legally open to everyone caught up with Kelly irrespective of their chosen (nonKnight, Mendip motorised) travel mode and travel District Council’s purpose. The Welsh Government too is Principal Sustainable leading the way in looking to legislate Travel and Tourism so that more of the rights of way With RACHEL THOMPSON MBE Officer. Kelly is busily plotting her way around Mendip network is accessible for multi-use. Although everyone seems obsessed with cycling, Kelly recognises that all non-motorised users can share the same designing multi-user path connections space. After all, we all share rural roads to link up our five larger communities and multi-user rights of way –and numerous villages and hamlets. bridleways and byways. Women, Creating green infrastructure to enable especially, find it difficult to find time sustainable travel on foot, by bike and to cycle to work or are prevented by the horse, scooter and disabled conveyance need to drop children at school. Many is a key Mendip District Council active women are horse riders particularly in travel policy. rural Mendip and many have recently
As someone who regularly walks, said that they feel safer exploring the cycles and horse rides it’s great to see countryside on horseback. Mendip recognising the need to be Kelly says what’s important is getting inclusive, following the Scottish people out there, leaving cars at home example of core paths which are when we can, following the example of “community paths that help people stay the Dutch and their exciting concept of connected, access green space and get “20-minute neighbourhoods”, where production that delivers year-on-year everything you need is accessible a whatever the weather. short walk or ride away and travel Designing and delivering multi-user space is low speed, shared and safe. paths is a complex process of Mendip has an amazing resource of identifying routes and landowners, lightly trafficked country lanes, negotiating, planning and developing unclassified county roads that can be infrastructure on the ground and used as part of the green travel securing wherever possible permanent network. We need to look again at the routes, investing in a legacy for the quiet lane concept, where speeds are future. lower and motorised users expect to Kelly says that most of the preferred encounter people walking, cycling, route identification is in place and riding and carriage driving. around 200 landowners have been As keen multi-user path developers, identified too. The next step is to work Kelly and I agree on the principles of out the best order of delivery and talk engaging with landowners and farmers, to landowners and farmers. listening to their concerns and using A connecting network of quiet lanes, access to provide solutions rather than multi-user rights of way and other paths causing nuisance and a source of offers amazing opportunities for farm concern. diversification and benefits to everyone Ensuring routes are in the right place, in the community and outside. Kelly perhaps in a corridor or along a says this is Mendip’s USP – the offer of boundary with some biodiversity accessible, safe, sustainable travel and enhancements such as tree and hedge recreation through beautiful landscape, planting, creating wildlife ponds and a passing through Mendip towns full of place to rest and enjoy the view will charm, unique history and heritage. A encourage users to go out and explore reason to stop off for a day or a week Mendip. User education is key too as instead of just passing through well as showcasing farming and food Somerset on the way south.
Nicky Kingman on Isaac on part of the Colliers Way linking Radstock to Frome Kelly Knight. It was a fun pose and her daughter definitely wears something warmer and safer than her pyjamas and slippers when they go for a ride!
