Derian House A children’s hospice in the community, for the community
It’s a record breaker! Derian benefits from
Red Sea Pedestrians Ball Plus
Tom Smith Challenge Support Group News 2012 Winter Sparkle 20th Anniversary Plans
Dear Friends
Welcome to our autumn newsletter, in which we celebrate the amazing efforts of many of our loyal supporters and fund-raisers and bring you news of events and activities connected to Derian House.
This year the whole country has been in celebratory mood, with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations and more recently, the wonderful spectacle of the Olympic Games. Both these major events have provided a focus for the whole country to join together and applaud all that is best about our nation. We are so fortunate that many people have used these occasions to stage their own celebrations, events and challenges and in so doing, help to raise much-needed funds for the hospice. As you are aware, we need to raise £2.85million this year, almost entirely from our own efforts and from the generosity of friends in the community, which is quite a challenge, but one which we face with determination. Some of you have expressed disappointment that one of our annual fixtures, the Gala Day, did not go ahead at Derian this year. This event has been running for a number of years and is enjoyed by many in the local community, who come together for a day of fun and laughter whilst helping to boost the Derian coffers. For the first time last year, the Gala coincided with the saddest time in two families’ lives, when we were privileged to help them spend their final days with their beloved children in the safe sanctuary of the Hospice. With such sadness being experienced inside, it seemed incongruous for noise, fun and laughter to be taking place just outside the windows where these little children were spending their final hours. With that knowledge, I am sure you will agree that our decision to cancel this year’s event was in keeping with the values that Derian holds so dear. We do intend to hold a community fund raising event next year, but not within Derian’s grounds. Such a community event next year will, we hope, be just one of the highlights of an action packed 2013. Next year is a very special one for Derian House, as it marks our 20th Anniversary. We have some exciting activities planned, including The Great Derian Tea Party, an exciting initiative devised by our Fundraising Manager, Susie Poppitt, which we are sure will inspire many of you to stage your own tea parties and help raise funds for Derian. Tea parties are certainly making a comeback and whether your event is just a cuppa and a cake with a few friends or colleagues, or a glittering affair complete with champagne and finest bone china, harnessing the tradition of sharing the nation’s favourite drink is a wonderful way to support Derian. We’re also using our 20th Anniversary to take a look at ourselves and early next year we will be launching a new look for Derian, including our logo, website and this newsletter. We hope this important milestone will underline the valuable work we do in supporting the families of life-threatened children and young people at the most difficult times of their lives. We feel proud and privileged to play such an important role, but without your ongoing dedication, support and generosity we would not be able to continue. For that, may I say a heartfelt thank you to you all.
Georgina Cox Chair to the Trustees of Derian House 2 I www.derianhouse.co.uk
Winter
Astley Park’s set to dazzle again for our...
Sparkle Spectacular
Those ‘in the know’ will already have earmarked the first Sunday in November for a fantastic start to the festive season. Our annual Winter Sparkle Spectacular at Astley Park– described by the press as ‘the perfect Christmas event for all the family’ – is a fantastic way to get ahead with your Christmas shopping and enjoy a fabulous range of attractions with something for all the family. This year’s event takes place on Sunday 4th Photos taken by Chloe Gibb November, from 10 am to 5pm. Once again, Astley Park will host an amazing array of events. Visitors to the Coach House in the courtyard can sample a ‘Taste of Lancashire’ in the Food Fayre, with seasonal cookery demonstrations by Chef Andrew Southcott, plus a wonderful selection of stalls selling gifts and seasonal products. The Victorian Walled Garden will be transformed into an Austrian style market with a host of goodies on sale. In the historic Astley Hall, youngsters can put an early order in to a truly traditional Dickensian Father Christmas, whilst in the marquee visitors can scour the entire range of festive gifts and cards for which Derian House has become renowned. For a sneak preview of this year’s spectacular range, check out our Christmas catalogue, which you should have received with this newsletter. When you tire of shopping, there is a host of other attractions with something for all the family. Get your skates on and try the outdoor Ice Rink, say hello to Santa’s reindeer, take a carriage ride through the park, or sample a vintage bus ride. Watch Punch and Judy and all their traditional friends entertaining in timeless style. Pause and watch the Leyland Morris Men perform, or listen to the Silver Band to put you in a festive mood. And when your fingers and toes start to tingle, you can warm up with delicious mince pies and mulled wine. Best of all, entry is absolutely free! Last year more than 10,000 visited our Winter Sparkle Spectacular and we had fantastic feedback from so many people, saying how much they had enjoyed themselves. Hopefully this year’s event will be better than ever before, so get November 4th in your diary and come along and share in the fun. www.derianhouse.co.uk I 3
Record breaking
Red Sea Pedestrians fund raiser
B Derian House was honoured to be chosen as the 2012 nominated charity of feisty charity fundraisers, the Red Sea Pedestrians. This amazing group was originally formed in the mid 1980’s, when they were in their teens and early 20’s, with the objective of doing good around the world. For the next few years they participated in events and raised lots of money for various charities. But as they got older, real life got in the way and, if you’ll pardon the pun, the Red Sea Pedestrians parted. 4 I www.derianhouse.co.uk
After a 20 year break, during which they had been busy starting and growing businesses and raising families, some of the original Red Sea Pedestrians re-formed in 2008, with the same aim but on a more ambitious scale. They recruited other like minded individuals and put their energies into organising an annual Valentines Banquet and Ball. Their mission statement says that their intention is to stage an event that will be anticipated for months in advance and talked about for months after, with proceeds from each event going to an annually pre-designated charity. The first ball in 2009 raised £35,000, the 2010 event raised £100,000, and the 2011 event raised £130,000.
A This year’s event, in aid of Derian House, was held on Saturday 11th February at the Lowry Hotel in Manchester. The Red Sea Pedestrians were supported by Manchester City Footballer Nigel De Jong and his lovely wife, Winonah. Sadly, Winonah hosted the event on her own after the date of City’s match changed, meaning Nigel was unable to attend. But Red Sea Pedestrian Antony Wagman kept her company on stage, complete with Nigel de Jong mask. Sponsors included Stocktons, Premex Group, Beaverbrooks the Jewellers and QCP Global. This glittering, star studded event proved to be the most successful yet, raising a staggering
£141.656.28!
F C
A Antony Wagman sports a Nigel de Jong face mask to compensate for Nigel’s absence from the evening. B Red Sea Pedestrians Nadine and Antony Wagman with Winonah de Jong (right), who hosted the ball alone in the absence of husband Nigel. C These fantastic young helpers at the ball were all children of the Red Sea Pedestrians. They helped out as runners, selling raffle tickets and with the auction among many other duties. D Kristianne Robinson, mother of Dexter, who spoke movingly of the importance of Derian’s support for families who face losing a precious child and who gave a moving performance of “Smile”. G Derian guests. E Celebrity chef Gino D’Acampo with actress Shobna Gulati. F Derian Chair of Trustees, Georgina Cox with celebrity chef Gino D’Acampo
D We are thrilled and honoured to have been selected by this amazing group of dedicated fundraisers and thank them for their efforts and generosity. This year’s Banquet and Ball certainly lived up to their mission statement, as you can see from this amazing selection of photos E
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New friends for Derian in
Blackburn
Derian House holds a special place in Sandra’s heart as she had a Derian child in her family. “Derian was there when I needed them and I want Derian to continue to help other families,” she said. “I was asked to help in setting up the Blackburn support group because I have fund raising experience. The sky is the limit for fundraising. It is not easy because it’s not a good economic climate but every penny will help those children.” The new Blackburn Support Group dressed in Tudor costumes to take part in part in the Jubilee celebrations outside Great Harwood Town Hall. Stan Bamber (Chair) and Sandra Robinson (Secretary) can be spotted centre back.
For more information contact We are delighted that a new support group has been formed to help fund raising efforts. The Friends of Derian House is a new fund raising committee dedicated to raising even more money for our hospice in Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley areas, where
almost a quarter of the children we support come from. Stan Bamber is Chairman of the group and Sandra Robinson is the secretary. Said Stan: “Because we are now a structured group we can start to plan more events and get more awareness and support.”
St George’s Day fun for Smiths Arms regulars
(left to right): Siobhan Bayliff (Smiths Arms), Les Simpson (Organiser), Roya Khadem (Derian House), Nancy Robinson (Organiser) and Errol Kerrone (Auctioneer).
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community fundraiser Jill Kirkham on 01257 271271 A St George’s Day weekend fund raiser resulted in a fantastic £2,640 boost for Derian House thanks to regulars of the Smiths Arms in Lea Town. The cash was raised at a series of events organised by pub regulars Les Simpson and Nancy Robinson on 21/22nd April with the cheque being presented on Thursday 10th May to Derian fund raiser Roya Khadem, who thanked everyone for their generous support. On the Saturday a group of around 90 regulars took part in a six mile walk which took in visits to a total of 5 pubs along the way. On the Sunday it was back to the Smiths Arms for a cracking raffle with splendid prizes donated by generous local businesses and culminating in an evening auction where lots of people donated their individual services to boost funds. Siobhan and Alan Bayliff of the Smiths Arms said the generosity of those at the auctions was “nothing less than amazing, but everyone had great fun in the process.”
Volunteers Do you receive your Updates?
We are so grateful for the ongoing support of all our volunteers and we like to keep you in the loop with our regular Volunteer Updates. If you do not receive your copy, please contact our Volunteer Services Manager, Laura Smith on 01257 271271 or email laura.smith@derianhouse.co.uk
Support Group Stalwarts Lancaster & Morecambe
The year so far has been busy and challenging for the group. We had a great boost to the start of the year with a cheque for £2,100, the proceeds of the Lincoln Close Christmas Illuminations organised by Ian and Diane Clifton. Easter arrived and we sold our knitted chickens, which generated a further £905. Our usual Silverdale Coffee Morning in May raised more than £850 and we had a lovely surprise when our friends at the John Barrass-Strawberry Gardens pub in Heysham organised a cycle ride which, despite the inclement weather, raised £1,750. On Jubilee Saturday six friends who all work for EdF Energy got on their bikes and set off from John O’Groats on what became known as the ‘JOGLE’, the ‘top to bottom’ journey to Lands End. Their goal was to reach Lands End in under eight days, which involved cycling more than 110 miles. Among them was Richard Bradfield, Station Director at Heysham Power Station who offered to cycle on behalf of Derian House. He set himself a target of £1,725 but due to the generosity of family and friends who followed all the ups and downs of the trip on the ‘JOGLE’ Blog,
Richard ended up raising a fantastic £2,572. We congratulate him on his great achievement of endurance. We have also had a number of successful tin shakes and received many generous donations, but our next big challenge is our Grand Raffle, due to be drawn in October.
Warrington
The group has again continued with the a successful range of fund raising initiatives. These include Afternoon Tea Dances, Tombolas and Quiz Nights at Cadishead Conservative Club, where the staff have been incredibly supportive. We’d also like to say a special thank you to Terry, Irene’s husband, for his support. Irene sells a huge amount of Derian stock, particularly Christmas items and every year she raises a great deal of money through her efforts. This group is run from a little village and the local people are always so willing in helping us raise funds. In December 2011 the Group donated a cheque for £5,000.
Bolton
As well as holding its own events, the Bolton Support Group is sincerely grateful to other local organisations who continue to support Derian House through their own efforts. These have included Bolton & Farnworth Masonic ‘Giving Night’ to Charitable Organisations in the area, Old Links Golf Club at Horwich, which donated £900, and The Spinners Arms at Adlington, who support us continuously by organising regular Raffles. Each year Carol Kirkpatrick’s Dance Class at Farnworth donates the proceeds from her Dance School Annual Concert to Derian House. Sincere thanks, too, to various shops in the area including Coppull Post Office, The Poacher at Blackrod and Kids Connection at Bolton which regularly donate monies from their Collection Boxes. Whilst celebrating her 80th Birthday, Mrs Ormrod from Bolton requested family and friends made donations instead of presents and a total of £555 was raised through their generosity. This year we will be supporting our Chairman, Pat Barrow, who is again Mayor of Blackrod and has chosen Derian House has her Charity for the year. We send our warmest congratulations to Pat.
Walking for Eva
Participants in the annual Eva Heeks memorial walk, organised by her sister, Grace (pictured centre, in cow costume).
The annual Eva Heeks walk along the Leeds Liverpool canal from Derian House to Blackburn has boosted funds by more than £3,000. Around 25 people took part in the walk, organised by Eva’s sister Grace, aged 14. Among them were her friends and fellow students from St Wilfrid’s C of E High school. Moving People of Clayton Le Moors once again generously donated the transport from Blackburn to the start of the walk at Derian. Eva contracted meningitis when she was six days old, leaving her deaf, blind and unable to walk, talk or breathe on her own. She was cared for at Derian House before her death in December 2004. www.derianhouse.co.uk I 7
Lights of Love
Olympian effort in Memory of Made it! Celebrating in true Olympic spirit.
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The beautiful setting of Blackburn Cathedral always ensures that our annual Lights of Love service is a touching and uplifting celebration of life as well as marking a vibrant and traditional start to the Christmas season. This year’s event takes place on Friday, 7th December and promises to be as special as always, featuring Christmas music, carols and readings, with an invited choir and special guests from the world of radio and television. We would like to invite everyone to come along to the Cathedral to light their own Light of Love candle, join with us in singing a selection of well known carols and be a part of what is always a wonderful evening. Invited guests this year include
Tom
Tom Smith from Crawshawbooth fought an Olympian battle with cancer for more than three years before he died in February 2006, aged just 14 years. Since then, the Entwistle family and other friends have undertaken a fund raising challenge every year in aid of Derian House. This year, inspired by the Olympics, the team chose an epic 10 day challenge, cycling 70 miles a day from John O’Groats to the Olympic Stadium, West Ham Park in London. The team comprised Jake, Zack and Nick Entwistle, Dave Booth, Lewis Festa, Jack Bibby, Alex Auty, Jamie Price, John Hargreaves, Rob Allan, Jasper Howard and Zak Bryne. Their sterling efforts were recognised by none other than the Mayor of London and fellow keen cyclist, Boris Johnson, who presented them with special
Matthew’s fundraising legacy the Mayor and Mayoress of Blackburn with Darwen, Malcolm Hebden of Coronation Street, Eva Pope of Waterloo Road and Being Sold and John Gilmore from Radio Lancashire. Last year’s service attracted more than 900 people. Admission is free, but you do need a ticket, which is obtainable from the Appeals team on 01257 271 271 or email info@derianhouse.co.uk. We look forward to seeing you there.
commemorative medals at the end of their 700 mile journey. Their fantastic efforts look set to have raised £10,000 for Derian and they had some amazing experiences on the way, including being photographed with the infamous Naked Rambler, and being mistaken for Olympic athletes by visitors to the Olympic Park, who asked for their autographs.
Getting ready
Teenager Matthew Jones was so thankful for the time he spent at Derian House that he decided to raise money by asking family and friends to fill Smartie tubes with 20p pieces. Family members from all over the UK, including Sussex, Surrey, Derbyshire and even from as far afield as South Africa, entered into the fund raising spirit. In addition, a Family Fun Day was held at Lydiate Parish Hall, at which all the Smartie tubes were collected. The event itself raised in excess of £500 and when the tubes were emptied it emerged that Matthew’s novel idea had raised a grand total of £1,195 for Derian. Matthew was looking forward to visiting Derian to deliver the proceeds personally. It was his way of saying thank you for the wonderful care he and his friends had received over the years when he spent his respite time at the hospice. Sadly, Matthew passed away suddenly on 27th August 2011, before he had the chance to hand over the money himself. Instead, family friend Sue McAdam did this on his behalf.
Sue has continued to support Derian and this year was involved in organising a fund-raising Coffee Day at the Village Diner in Lydiate, which raised a fantastic £460, despite selling coffee and cake for the bargain price of £1. Funds were boosted by a raffle and book sales and the Derian Collection Box raised a further £50. Staff at the Village Diner worked really hard, with an everlasting queue, often stretching right out of the door. “The Lydiate community really came out to support Derian, with teabags donated by the Scotch Piper, the oldest pub in Lancashire, pastries by Makro, milk and orange juice by the local dairy and coffee and cakes by other local supporters,” said Sue. “We also had beautiful hanging baskets donated for the raffle by local nurseries and farms.” www.derianhouse.co.uk I 9
Derian inspires Lee to raise funds Big 10 Breakfast Barm Challenge defeats intrepid fund raisers
Neil Noblet, Andrew Wilkins, Lee, Lee’s brother David and Chris Hall
Lee Fishwick’s first contact with Derian House was some years ago, when he worked for a local education company and was asked to arrange a team event crossing Morecambe Bay. He was invited to meet some of the children, young people and staff and was overwhelmed by what he saw. “I didn’t say much, but it certainly inspired me to walk Morecambe Bay and not care about the blisters,” he recalled. Over the years Derian House has been kept on Lee’s radar by his Mum, Dorotheau, who has been a stalwart member of our ever popular singing group the Derian-Aires. The group tours a wide range of venues, including nursing and residential homes throughout Lancashire and beyond, providing an entertaining programme of inspiring and patriotic songs. 10 I www.derianhouse.co.uk
Lee now runs his own business which involves helping children manage stress and anxiety. This year he decided to support Derian by setting up a cycle event for himself, his brother, David, and friends, Chris Hall, Andrew Wilkins and Neil Noblet. The result was their participation in the Manchester to Blackpool cycle event, with the team completing the 60 mile trip in three hours and 15 minutes. “Derian is an amazing place. I often drive past and look at the sign by the road. It inspires me to think of the courage and care that goes on in there every day,” said Lee. “We were proud to wear our Derian House cycling shirts and let more people know this magnificent place exists.” The team has raised in excess of £500 to date, with more money still coming in.
Eight intrepid diners stretched their stomachs to the limit to help swell Derian’s coffers. Peter Warburton, Wayne Tomblin, Thomas Greenalgh, Sarah Bill, Neil Hinchcliffe, Chris Cartwright, Graeme Worral and Colin Worral all fancied tackling the ‘Big 10 Challenge’ at the Albert Cafe in Farnworth, Bolton. The challenge is to eat a massive three-tier barm cake filled with 10 rashers of bacon, 10 sausages and 10 eggs and smothered in cheese, in less than 20 minutes, a feat yet to be achieved. One of the party suggested they should do it for charity and so they did. “I’m glad to say we raised £175 for the charity and although no-one managed to complete the challenge, one of us came very close,” said Chris, who told us that most of the sponsorship money came from our friends and families and patrons of The Victoria pub in Farnworth. The team would like us to make special mention of ‘The Kerryoke Zone’ karaoke, which made a major contribution to their fundraising.
Dave & Paul Take the High Road
Ouch! Terry Porter and Lee Taylor from DHS in Buckshaw Village had their legs waxed to raise over £250 for Derian.
A Quacking donation!
To celebrate the hatching of five lovely chicks at Bury Grammar School in June, a fund-raising sale of freshly laid eggs and knitted chicks raised £74 for Derian House. Derian Supporter Debbie Jones, who is a music teacher at the school’s Kindergarten, keeps hens at home and took one in to school so the children could experience Mother hen sitting on her eggs in the school foyer, waiting patiently for them to hatch. Debbie and her 16 year old daughter, Olivia, helped by members of staff, knitted the chicks that were sold so a big thank you to all concerned for their efforts. Olivia, aged 16, was one of 700 runners competing in a 5k race at Salford Quays in Manchester last September. She was one of the youngest competitors and came second in the women’s race.
Dave McDonald and Paul Cunningham don’t do things by halves. The duo entered the Highland High Way walk, Scotland’s first official long distance route. The standard route runs for 105 miles from Drymen at the south end of Loch Lomond to Fort William and takes approximately eight days to complete. It takes in 14 Munros* with a total ascent of more than 36,000 feet or 11,000 metres. But Dave and Paul planned to tackle an extra four days of excursions, which took their overall total route to 150 miles, incorporated 23 Munros and 59,000 feet or 18,000 metres of ascent, culminating in scaling Ben Nevis. When you consider that Everest, the highest mountain in the world, stands at 29,029 feet or 8848 metres, the epic scale of their challenge gains a sharp focus.
Unfortunately, they were not able to complete all of the planned excursions as the Mountain Weather Information Service forecast high winds of 65mph on exposed ridges with severe buffeting. Sensibly, they considered it was too dangerous to attempt exposed ridges so walked at a lower level for that day, completing two stages of the West Highland way - 22.5 miles. Despite taking the safer route, they still achieved a total of 128.5 miles over nine days with a total ascent of 43784 feet. Their incredible achievement earned £959 via Just Giving and a further £539 in cash donations. *A Munro is a mountain in Scotland with a height over 3,000 or 914.4 metres
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We can’t survive without you! We are constantly in awe of the magnificent people who give their time and make such an effort to support our work. We could not survive without you and whether your donation is large or small we are so grateful. Here’s a round-up of some of the fantastic fund raising initiatives undertaken on our behalf.
Thomas Cook
Chorley branch has adopted Derian as its chosen charity for 2012 and staff have been hard at work with various fund raising initiatives. They also visited Derian house to present scores of Easter Eggs donated by children and staff.
Express Gifts
have raised an amazing £904.09 during the Christmas period last year by holding raffles and dress down days, with more than £200 people supporting their fund raising.
Fundraising Champions from RL Hughes Primary
Kind hearted pupils from RL Hughes Primary School in Ashton have raised £1,260 by selling teddies and collecting spare coins.
Chris Rigby braved atrocious weather conditions in May to run the Stratford on Avon half marathon in support of Derian. The full marathon was cancelled as conditions were so bad and more than half the entrants didn’t finish the half marathon, so we are extremely grateful to
Chris for completing the course, despite treatment from St John’s ambulance for a damaged knee. He also organised a Poker game and had raised around £400. After visiting Derian, Chris has pledged to continue to support our work, which is fantastic news.
Daphne Marsden presenting the cheque to Les Jackson.
St Michael’s & St John’s Ladies Group in Blackburn have raised £400 by holding tea dances.
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The state of Chris’ Derian T shirt shows just how bad conditions were for his epic run. Chris Rigby with his well deserved medal from his Stratford Half Marathon run.
Tell Us!
We hope you enjoy reading about all our amazing fund raisers and their activities. If you have organised, or taken part in, an event which has helped Derian we’d love to feature it in our next newsletter. But we can’t include your news unless you tell us! It’s really easy; just send us as much detail as you can, together with a contact number in case we have queries. And make sure you get some good, clear pictures to send us, ideally as jpegs. The fund-raising team have prepared an information sheet, which tells you what we need to know, so please give them a call on 01257 271271 or email to: info@derianhouse.co.uk and they will send one to you.
King George V School
King George V Oscars Night
in Southport supported Children’s Hospice Awareness Week with a ‘Be a Hero’ themed Media Awards evening. They have also set up an Ambassadors’ Group which will encourage fund raising, awareness and volunteering.
Shop Direct Bolton
staff took part in a Morecambe Bay walk with Cedric, the official Morecambe Bay guide in June. Organised by Staff Forum Manager, Helen Derbyshire, the event had 30 participants and raised £250.
Priory Sports & Technology College
Shop Direct staff on the Morcambe Bay walk
year 7 pupils have created colourful and exotic fish to adorn the walls of our soft play room.
Year 7 pupils with their colourful artwork
Octagenerian Brian Morris
of Bolton celebrated his 80 birthday with a party. Instead of giving gifts, guests were asked to make a donation to Derian House instead and their generosity has raised £430.
David Jones
Every Little Helps
Kensington Nursery
Westhead Stores (Gilson and Sons) in Croston have been supporting Derian for a number of years by having a collection box in their shop. To date they and their customers have donated nearly £8,000 and we are so grateful for their ongoing generosity.
from Blackburn raised more than £1,000 by running last year’s New York marathon.
in Penwortham raised £365.08 by holding a Pyjama Day.
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You could be a Derian lottery winner! Join our weekly lottery you could
be one of our regular lucky winners. To find out more, visit our website www.derianhouse.co.uk or call the fund raising team on 01257 271271.
Birthday joy for Lynn
Lynn, husband Bill and Joe.
Derian supporter Lynn Wild asked friends and family to give money to Derian instead of gifts when she celebrated her 65th birthday. A great time was had by all at Blackley Golf Club in Manchester, with 130 grown-ups and children with an age range of 2 to 80 enjoying a high old time to make sure Lynn had a party to remember. At the forefront of everyone’s minds was their ‘true superstar’, Joe, a Derian child who inspired them all. Said Lynn: “He was the bravest, loving, funniest, cheeky and amazing little boy, who was loved by everyone whose path he crossed”. Lynn thanked Mandy, who decorated the room, her nieces and husbands, Yvonne and Paul (Joe’s Mum and Dad), Nicola and Paul (Joe’s auntie and Uncle) who did all the essential work in organising the party, everyone who came and made a donation and most of all her husband, Bill, for all his support. “Derian House means everything to us. You gave Joe so much love, care, joy and peace and are still doing so for his Mum and Dad, his siblings Eddied and Evie and his grandparents and whole family.” 14 I www.derianhouse.co.uk
High School was Ormskirk Dancers Ormskirk the venue for the Dancesteps which raised another make a difference show, £500.
Clay pigeon Farewell shoot bags to Chorley Ladies Circle £420 Members of the Dolphin Inn Shooting Club Derian would like to say a special thank in Marsh Lane, Longton, raised £420 at a shoot they organised in April. The event was sponsored by local haulage contractor, Peter Sanderson, and attracted around 20 people. Ian Clarke, who sent us the generous donation, told us: “20 persons of good stock attended and all had a jolly day out at the shooting ground and then at the Dolphin Inn, a local drinking establishment of shady character. A quick ‘whip round’ in the pub afterwards got us another £30 so in all we’re pleased to have raised £450 for you and hope it goes some way in boosting your funds.” It certainly does, Ian. Thank you.
you to all the past and present members of Chorley Ladies Circle, who have supported us tirelessly over 10 years and have contributed over £800 to the hospice. The Ladies Circle chose to support Derian after coming into contact with a child who had been helped by the hospice and over the years they have held a range of fund raising activities including fashion shows, ladies lunches, cup cake and book sales and donations of Easter eggs. We’d like to thank Mrs Hilton from the Ladies Circle for alerting us to the disbanding of the group and to say a huge thank you to all the ladies who have donated their time and effort to help.
AB InBev 40th Anniversary celebrations raise more than £1,800 A
Anheuser-Busch InBev is the largest brewer in the world and makes many of the UK’s best-loved drinks. Its Samlesbury brewery is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year and to mark the occasion, staff were invited to a dinner dance at the De Vere Herons Reach Hotel in Blackpool. Two events were held, on 18th and 25th May, to accommodate shift patterns. Every employee was invited to attend, with a guest, and the company provided free overnight accommodation and a free bar on the night. The dinner dances were organised by Diane Coleman and Jenny Orme from the Employee Forum with help from the Senior Management team. They worked with an events management team to ensure the rooms were suitably themed for the occasion and everyone entered into the spirit of the night, digging deep to support their 2012 chosen charity, Derian House. B
C
D
Live bands Manhattan Music provided the music on the first night and the Chip Shop Boys on the second and both did a superb job of getting everyone up dancing. Brewery Manager Tony Monteiro attended both dinner dances, as did the longest serving employee Dave McGarry. Employee Forum Manager Jeff Hunter did a superb job as compere, encouraging everyone to dig deep in support of Derian House, resulting in a magnificent total of £1,846.20 being raised on the two evenings.
“From the feedback we received everyone had a wonderful time and in the process we raised a fantastic amount of money for our Employee Forum’s chosen charity,” said Diane Coleman. A Brewery Manager Tony Monteiro with organisers Diane Coleman and Jenny Orme B Employee Forum member Jeff Hunter compered both evenings and encouraged the audience to dig deep for Derian. C Dressed to impress: both the guests and the room looked stunning. D Dancing the night away – a great time had by all.
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Prefer to Communicate online? We’re currently looking at making our newsletter and other information available online.
This will enables us to keep in touch with all our friends and supporters without incurring expensive postal costs, which means that even more money can be spent on the welfare of our children and their families. If you would prefer to receive communications from us via email please let us know. All you need to do is email to: info@derianhouse.co.uk with your name, telephone number, postal address and preferred email address and we will do the rest.
Lucas cheques in for Derian House Seven year old footballer Lucas Gornall had the important task of presenting the Lancashire Evening Post Sunday Football League’s donation of £1,606.99 to Derian fundraiser Royal Khadem, watched by members of the successful Penwortham United team. This is the ninth season that Derian House has been the league’s adopted charity and to date the League’s clubs have raised £24,364.19. Penwortham United is part of the Penwortham Town FC, which is one of the largest clubs in the area, with more than 20 teams playing in four different leagues. Midfielder Lucas plays for the under-7s team, managed by his Dad, Doug. They play in the Mid Lancs Colts league.
League President Eamonn McNamara said: “Once again our clubs have risen to the occasion by raising his money for Derian House. We feel that it is important that we put something back into the community in which we operate.”
Emily & friends raise £100 at school garden party Preston youngster Emily Benton wanted to do something special to help Derian House raise money – and she did! Emily, her sister Lucy, friend Ellie and her Mum Alison all got together to organise a cake stall, raffle, name the Teddy competition and lucky dip at the Salmesbury CE Primary School Garden Party, which took place on Saturday 23rd June. Their fantastic efforts raised £104.25. Emily told us: “Derian House is a special place for poorly children who need all the help they can get from volunteers and fundraising. I would love to do more fundraising in the future”. And we’d love you to Emily.
Thank you! 16 I www.derianhouse.co.uk
Emily Benton behind her stall at Samlesbury CE Primary School Garden Party.
Beaten by the weather but still triumphant Derian supporter Jonathan Bracewell braved nightmare conditions in June when he took part in the 14 Peaks Challenge. After training hard and being mentally and physically prepared, the race organisers stopped the challenge 13 hours in after conditions were deemed so severe that competitors’ lives were at risk. Jonathan was gutted to be stopped before tackling the third and final section, but his despair turned to elation on learning that his many sponsors decided to honour their pledges, enabling him to donate over £800 to Derian House, which was one of two charities he was supporting, the other being Pendleside Hospice. Jonathan, who works at Shop Direct in Bolton, learned about the good work of Derian House when the company organised a charity ball. He enjoys doing challenges and decided to ensure his efforts also helped worthwhile causes.
“I had mixed emotions when we were stopped,” said Jonathan. “I was gutted that I couldn’t complete the challenge having trained so hard, but I am glad I still attempted it and managed to raise over £1,600 for my chosen charities. I have signed up to do the challenge again next year as I am stubborn and don’t want to leave it unfinished.” Brave man!
Jonathan hands over his cheque to Susie Poppitt from Derian’s fundraising team.
Local Pigeon Fanciers Home in to support Derian A joint charity application from Chorley and Heath Charnock Pigeon Clubs resulted in a £3,000 award to Derian House from the proceeds of an international event known as Pigeon Weekend. Officially called The British Homing World Show, this is organised by the British Pigeon Racing Association. Pigeon Weekend is held every January in Blackpool and attracts thousands of pigeon fanciers from as far away as America and the Far East. All proceeds are donated to deserving causes and local pigeon fanciers Dennis Hubbard and Jimmy Nolan felt none was more deserving than Derian.
Roya Khadem accepts the cheque from pigeon fanciers Dennis Hubbard and Jimmy Nolan.
Garstang Calendar Girls get carried away with fund raising
A fun take on Calendar Girls by a group of retired Garstang ladies snowballed into a series of fund raising events that have raised £5,540 for Derian House. Back in September 2010, the ladies decided to produce a calendar depicting aspects of their lives on Wyre Vale and Acresfield Parks, with the proceeds being donated to our hospice. They were soon nicknamed ‘The Calendar Girls’ but they agreed to have fun poses rather than the saucy ones of the original Calendar Girls. Michael and Julie Ward, who own the Parks, sponsored all the printing costs and Peter Heyworth of ‘Latcreative’ Preston sponsored the production costs, thus enabling all monies raised could go directly to Derian House. The project grew and grew and between September 2010 and March 2012, the ladies organised Two ‘Bag Packs’ at Sainsbury’s Garstang, which raised more than £1,000. A Gala Day in June 2011 which raised £1,252. Coffee Mornings, A Sherry Night, A Handbag & jewellery party A fun Bowling Day, which raised £400 in spite of pouring rain via a raffle and VAT free hot meat pies which sustained the players. These events culminated in a cheque presentation evening at Garstang Golf Club in March this year when the Garstang Calendar girls presented a cheque for £5,540 to Ian Minto of Derian House. The ladies would like to thank all the local businesses in Garstang who supported them so willingly and generously. www.derianhouse.co.uk I 17
Ironman Jimmy champions Derian
Jimmy McKay, better known as Jimmy Mack, personal trainer at De Vere White’s Hotel at the Reebok Stadium, Bolton, visited Derian House before Christmas last year and decided to enter the North West Ironman Challenge in support of the Hospice. To boost his fund raising efforts Jimmy and his wife, Anita, staged a Varity Evening at the De Vere White Hotel, raising a fantastic £4,000 for Derian. His challenge took place on Sunday 22nd July and Jimmy raised an incredible £1,000 with the money still coming in. Jimmy, who is the Hotel’s charity champion, has also championed Derian as the De Vere White’s adopted charity for 2012 and he plans to organise more fundraising events before the end of the year. Ironman Jimmy with two glamorous ladies at the De Vere White fund raising Variety show.
B & W Knight Riders tackle Cahors Cycle Challenge Derian House was thrilled to receive a cheque for £700 from B & W Plant Hire and Sale of Blackburn, whose cycling team, the Knight Riders, took part in the gruelling St Malo to Cahors Cycling Challenge, a 500 mile relay race through France completed over three days. The Knight Riders (pictured) were Sara Bartlett, Brian Carolan, Samantha Moore and Rob Allen. All are based at the company’s Southampton depot and were supported by staff from the Keighley and Blackburn offices. 18 I www.derianhouse.co.uk
Get Fit, Look Good and Support Derian Variety is the spice of life for fundraisers Karen & Tracey
Charity fundraisers Karen Cooney and Tracey Mitchell have organised a number of charity events this year, and we have Derian have been delighted to receive donations from their efforts. A black tie dinner dance held at Hemsley House in Salford raised more than £3,000, with the funds being shared by Derian and Children on the Edge. Karen and Tracey have since staged a Zumbathon in Stalybridge and a further event over the August Bank Holiday weekend.
Here at Derian House we are tickled pink with a new business that promises to make our supporters look good, get fit and boost our funds. Derian is proud to be the first charity to link with Pink Monkey, a new online retailer of women’s sportswear with a very important difference – 50% of all Pink Monkey profits are donated to charity. Pink Money offers top quality performance sportswear for women of all shapes and sizes. The range is flattering as well as functional, helping you look and feel fabulous as you train and compete. But the best news of all is that when you buy a Pink Monkey item you will be supporting our work, as Pink Monkey will donate 50% of profits to Derian House. Pink Monkey is the brainchild of retail clothing and fashion specialist, Nigel Husband. After many years working in the fashion industry, Nigel formulated a business idea that was also designed to give something back to society. “Many women sign up to runs, marathons or other fitness events which are connected to raising money for charity and the first thing they do is go out and buy all the kit to
motivate them,” says Nigel. “I felt there was a market for a company that provided top quality sportswear but with an extra special feature – the opportunity to give back even more to charity when you purchase any Pink Monkey item.” The Pink Monkey range includes T-shirts, jackets, pants, bra tops, vests, hoodies, water bottles, hats, gloves, in fact anything the discerning sports woman might need to help her look her best whilst training or competing. All items will be available online from the end of September. Just login to www.pinkmonkeyonline.co.uk and make sure you select Derian House as your chosen charity. Visitors to our Christmas Sparkle Spectacular at Astley Hall on November 4th can check out the range at first hand. Pink Monkey items will make ideal Christmas presents and every purchase you make will help Derian. It also means you can be dressed in style for our Starlight Stroll next year!
Karen and Tracey ‘variety is the spice of life’ story the photo shows event organisers Karen Cooney (left) and Tracy Mitchell, with Jill Kirkham from Derian’s fund raising team
www.derianhouse.co.uk I 19
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