Charities

Men’s walk is back

DOROTHYHouse Hospice has announced its fundraising Men’s Walk will be held on Sunday, February 13th.

The walk starts at 12noon from Dorothy House, Winsley and follows along the canal to Bath Pavilion - just in time to watch the Six Nations England v Italy match at 3pm.

Details: www.dorothyhouse.org.uk or call 01225 721480

Store helps rural communities

Cakes and a raffle: regular customers Rachel and Phillip Doggrell (third and fourth left) are pictured with Sam Read, Helen Stevens and Richard Read, from Read Agri

A CHARITY day at Read Agri in Wanstrow has raised funds for the Farming Community Network and the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance.

Going the final mile

WESTONHospicecare have launched a fundraising event called the Final Mile, challenging supporters to run, jog or walk either 100 miles, 50 miles, a marathon or half marathon to raise cash for the charity.

They will be challenged over a 30 consecutive day period in January and February to cover all but one mile of their chosen distance before joining in with The Final Mile on Weston seafront with all the participants on Sunday, February 27th.

It costs £7.50 for adults and £5 for children to enter, while all participants are asked to raise a minimum of £45 while taking part in the challenge.

Help for donkeys

Pictured (l to r) Jenny Taylor, Christine Underwood, Janet Parsons and Val Adams

JANET Parsons of Stowey raised £360 for the charity Safe Haven for Donkeys in the Holy Land with craft stalls at East Harptree and Chew Magna.

Her fellow crafters are ex-pupils from the Orchard Workshop, a charity she used to run. They still meet monthly at her house to make different goods for charity.

Charity chief on the move

MELISSA Hillier, chief executive of WHY, We Hear You, the Fromebased charity which supports anyone affected by cancer and life threatening conditions, has announced she’s leaving after six years. She’s praised the team for continuing to work with amazing calm and focus: “As we came out of the various lockdowns our WHY phone began to ring more and more and we have become extremely busy over the last few months.

“As we predicted; as the world opened up, so people began to think of their mental health and wellbeing and our counsellors have been here to support them.”

She’s moving to a charity looking at older people’s health issues. She said: “It has been an incredible six years and I have really enjoyed growing the charity and enabling us to support so many more people.

“It has been a total pleasure working with the WHY team, all our volunteers, funders and supporters and I will certainly miss everyone.”

Taking the plunge

Izzy’s descent

KEYNSHAMMencap’s first team of charity tandem skydivers took to the Devon skies and raised more than £6,000 in sponsorship.

Skydivers Amanda, Helen, Lauren, Izzy, Gemma and Amila have helped ensure an even greater diary of holidays, day trips and equipment for members.

Fundraiser, Amanda Leonard, said: “It helps to raise awareness of what we do for our community as supporters spread the word of the work we deliver.”

The charity is planning another skydive on Sunday, April 3rd 2022.

Details: amanda@keynshammencap.org.uk

Gift cards launched

DORSETand Somerset Air Ambulance (DSAA) has launched a brand-new range of gift cards to help support the charity’s lifesaving work. There are four different designs which can be purchased for either £10, £25, £50 or £100. Each card has been designed with the charity’s critical care team’s work in mind and focusses on the different types of equipment and supplies that help them care for seriously ill or injured patients. l Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance came out winners in three categories at this year’s National Air Ambulance Awards of Excellence, after being shortlisted as a finalist in five categories, “highlighting the broad scope and high standard of the service they provide and the incredible motivation and professionalism of their people”.

Details: https://www.dsairambulance.org.uk/shop call 01823 669604 or email fundraising@dsairambulance.org.uk

Recycling Christmas trees

WESTONHospicecare’s Pines for Pounds is back after an excellent debut last Christmas. It provides a Christmas tree collection service for a donation and is coordinated by Weston Rotary.

It will take place on Saturday, January 8th and there are up to 1000 collection slots available, in Weston and surrounding areas, which can be booked through the hospice website.

Weston Hospicecare’s community fundraising manager, Sue Kingman, said: “We’re absolutely delighted that Weston Rotary have come back to support us with this event again after the upcoming festive period.

“It’s such a fantastic idea and saves us all a job while supporting a local charity and making a huge difference to people locally.”

Julian Matthews of Weston Rotary, said: “We’re being even more ambitious about the amount of money we can raise in 2022 as this means a bigger donation to Weston Hospicecare and Rotary charities. Please do support us!”

Supporting Weston Rotary are Axbridge Rotary, Burnham Rotary and Young Farmers. The last event raised more than £5,500 for the hospice, when only 500 spaces were available.

Details: www.westonhospicecare.org.uk

Wedmore looks to build a new surgery

WEDMOREand Axbridge Community Health Fund is hoping to build a new state-of-the-art doctors’ surgery in the village. The charity has been supporting the work of the Axbridge & Wedmore GP Practice and its patients for 33 years.

Following the closure of another local charity, The Wedmore Ambulance Trust, the fund has recently received more than £370,000 from the sale of land in Wedmore.

The fund has decided to look at the feasibility of replacing the current inadequate surgery in St Medard Road and leasing the new premises to Axbridge and Wedmore Doctors.

It says: “This will provide a long-term secure income from the legacy to the fund which in turn will enable it to provide even more support for the health and wellbeing of patients. It also demonstrates the commitment of our GPs to serve the community in the Wedmore area.”

The viability of the project now depends on the donation of a suitable plot of land within Wedmore – one offer is being investigated – together with public fundraising to raise an estimated £500,000 towards the project. Wedmore Parish Council has reserved £100k of Community Infrastructure Levy funds.

The fund will be staging an exhibition in Wedmore Village Hall as part of Wedmore Parish Council’s Open Day, “Wedmore Have Your Say” on February 18th and 19th. This will also be an opportunity for any potential donors of land within Wedmore to come forward.

The fund also sees this project as a way to involve local volunteer expertise and has already received many offers from skilled volunteers, but more will be sought as the project goes ahead. All the professional advice received so far has been donated free-of-charge.

School remembers gifted teacher

STUDENTS at Bruton School for Girls held a 12-hour Hockathon raising funds for the Cure CJD Campaign in memory of a teacher who died from the disease.

Organisers Molly and Lucy said: “We’ve found that, when talking about the disease, very few people, if any at all, have any knowledge of it.

“Because of this, we want to raise awareness and, ultimately, raise funds that would go towards finding a cure for this awful degenerative brain disorder.

“Our teacher died just before Christmas last year and, because of various lockdowns and other restrictions, we haven’t been able to come together as a community to remember her until now.

“She always loved getting involved with school events and was the embodiment of community spirit. It is with this in mind that we organised the Hockathon, to carry this on a year after her passing.”

Head of languages, Xavière Harvey, said: “This very cruel disease stripped a very talented linguist, speaking four languages fluently, from the ability to communicate in any language, in a matter of weeks and her tragic loss in the Christmas holidays was a shock to us all.”

All the pupils at the school were involved in the fundraiser in some way, as well as teachers and parents, be it playing hockey, running stalls, baking or making goodies to sell, advertising the event and supporting each other all the way through.

The event raised £1,281.

Molly (left) and Lucy

Playground run for refugees

YEAR 5 pupils at St Paul’s CofE VC Junior School in Shepton Mallet have completed a sponsored run of 50 laps of their playground to raise money for a local charity working with refugees.

They also wrote letters of welcome to families being resettled in Somerset. The money raised will go to Refugee Action in East Somerset to buy toys and games for families.

Concorde dinner for charity –in memory of Maggie

THOUSANDSof pounds have been raised for two charities thanks to a huge event staged in the Filton Museum which houses Concorde.

The event was organised by Peter Wells of Bishop Sutton, who started fundraising for meningitis research four years ago, after the sudden death of his wife Maggie from the disease.

Following some initial fundraising events in her memory, the Meningitis Family was formed by combining with other fundraisers who had suffered the same family bereavements.

Like so many other charities, the Meningitis Family, based in Bishop Sutton, started its fundraising again for Meningitis Now and Meningitis Research in October, after two years of non-activity due to Covid.

Peter said: “Starting again after the lockdown, we were determined to return with a bang and something under Concorde seemed the best and most unusual thing to do.

“Over 200 revellers enjoyed a fabulous three-course meal, a walk through Concorde herself and danced the night away to the South West's top band 247 Live.

“A massive tombola and auction added to the evening’s festivities all under the wonderful host of the evening, radio DJ Paris Troy. Thousands of pounds were raised, to be split on a 50/50 basis between the two charities.”

Some of the guests

Fair and flowers for children’s hospice

CHRISTMAS gifts and goodies were on sale at the Tucker’s Grave Inn at Faulkland in aid of the Children’s Hospice South West.

The event was inspired by the work of artist David Graham who donates all the proceeds from sales of his paintings to the charity. Some of his works are on show at the Old Parlour at the inn.

Meanwhile, a new variety of rose has been created to celebrate the 30th anniversary of CHSW. The “Precious Lives” rose was grown by a specialist nursery in Bedfordshire which also created the Jill Farwell rose in memory of the co-founder of the charity following her death in 2004.

Jill and her husband Eddie set up the hospice in 1991. Their two eldest children, Katie and Tom had life-limiting illnesses and the family experienced the urgent need for children’s hospice care for themselves.

David Graham (far right) with some of the CHSW team at the Tucker’s Grave Inn Sam Roberts, aged six, the son Heidi Roberts, the charity’s area community fundraiser, lends a hand at the fair

Henry joins the biking Santas

HUNDREDS of biking Santas descended on the area to raise money for the Children’s Hospice South West at Wraxall.

Henry Matyjasik, from Backwell, joined them, pictured with his eldest son Lance and his 13-year-old daughter, Charlotte.

This is the 16th year of this charity ride and Henry and his family have been doing it regularly for many years. They joined bikers coming from Taunton, Bridgwater and Westonsuper-Mare areas and rode up the A370 to the Sea Walls on the Downs in Bristol.

They regrouped, then rode on to Winterbourne Academy where they were joined by bikers from Wales, Gloucestershire, Bath and Somerset.

They all rode towards Bristol City Centre and then onto a tea and cakes reception provided by the hospice.

Henry and his family have so far raised more than £700.

Details: https://www.justgiving.com/Lance-Henry-Charlotte

Helping families

PURPLEElephant in Frome, which provides services for children and disadvantaged families, is appealing for support to help families all year round and not just at Christmas.

For Christmas, it was offering a series of fun, indoor family activity sessions, including Santa giving presents to all the children, and providing healthy meals for everyone, thanks to partner organisation, Fair Frome.

In the past year alone, the Purple Elephant team, via its range of five charitable support services, has supported over 800 local families on low incomes, with additional needs or facing other forms of disadvantage.

Director, Sue Willis, said: “It is truly shocking how many children are struggling in Somerset and right here in Frome.”

Book shines a light on remote island

A BOOKpublished in Glastonbury aims to help one of the world’s most remote communities, the 250 people who live on Tristan da Cunha in the South Atlantic. The book Nothing Can Stop The authors with the book Us covers the island’s 1961 volcanic eruption and how its people were evacuated to the UK and then returned home.

The book is written by former St Dunstan’s, Glastonbury teacher, Richard Grundy who worked on the island in the 1980s and is now co-chair and newsletter editor of the UKbased Tristan da Cunha Association.

Together with London-based co-author Neil Robson and designed by Murray Wallace from Glastonbury printers Direct Offset, the team have produced a 300-page book with 132 illustrations, most in full colour to raise funds to support the island through the association’s charity.

It can be ordered on the Tristan website www.tristandc.com and bought at local bookshops Dicketts in Glastonbury and Bailey Hill Bookshop in Castle Cary for £20.