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Regulars at the Salford Arms in Bridge Street Salford rocked the night away raising £900 for St Ann’s Hospice in memory of Steve Riley from Kersal, who died of cancer aged 39 in January.
Their Rock ‘n’ Roll party was thrown by Donna Gair (pictured) and the pub’s regular who were all friends of Steve, who worked for a local printing firm. The fundraising was part of a St Ann’s Hospice Tribute Fund which can be used to remember a loved one while raising funds to provide free care for patients with life-threatening illnesses.
Donna said: “We all thought a lot of Steve and it was a great way to remember him.”
Hospice Community Fundraiser Margaret Beck said: “It’s fantastic to see such support for the Hospice, as we need to raise £16,000 in donations to provide free care for our patients.”
Bosses from Manchester were arrested and locked in aid of St Ann’s Hospice Lock Up Your Boss fundraising stunt that raised over £10,000 for the charity.
They were ‘arrested’ over business breakfast at The City Inn, Piccadilly, by volunteers from North Manchester Police and afterwards put on trial in the old fashioned courtroom at Manchester Police Museum for unacceptable ‘crimes’ such as having offensive fashion sense or not buying ice creams for the office on a hot day (see list of ‘offenders’ below).
Bolton Magistrate Sue Tonks obtained consent from Britain’s top law officer, the Lord Chief Justice, to sit in judgement as each boss is faced with their crime in the dock of the Police Museum courtroom. “I made sure these bosses got the justice they deserve,” she said.
They were then locked up behind bars in the Victorian cells of the museum. To win their release, they had to raise bail in donations by calling colleagues on their mobile phone from their police cell.
One of the bosses due to be locked up, Pete Liggins, Sport and News presenter with Pure 107.8 fm radio, said: “Getting locked up was a fun way to raise money for the Hospice and raise the profile of St Ann’s.”
While Steve Goodman of Prestwich based property company BFD Ltd added: “Being arrested came as a complete surprise, but it was worth it in aid of such a good cause.”
Bosses and their crimes:
Darren Townsend (City Inn, Manchester) Crime: Being an imposter from down South
Pete Liggins (Pure FM radio) Crime: Too chirpy at 7am
Ed Perry (Spie Mathew Hallman) Crime: Telling bad jokes
Martin Stevenson (Harvest Housing) Crime: Being a cheeky monkey
Steven Goodman (BFD Ltd) Crime: Squandering work time booking his next holiday
Jonathan Boyers (KPMG) Crime: Crimes against fashion
Brian Green (KPMG) Crime: Not buying ice creams for colleagues on hot days
Laurence Stone (KPMG): Crime: Practicing computer games to beat his kids
Jonathan Hurst (KPMG): Crime: Excessive e-mailer
David Hillan (KPMG) Crime: Regularly giving poor gambling tips
Over 260 singers raised more than £6,000 towards free patient care at St Ann’s Hospice at Little Hulton when they joined in a ‘Voices for Hospices’ concert at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester to mark World Hospice Day.
St Ann’s Hospice Festival Choir performed Handel’s Messiah conducted by John Pomphrey, who said: “More than 150 additional singers signed up to join members of the Festival Choir. Although not all sang on the day of the concert, most attended the practices leading up to it at Cheadle Method Church, and paid a participation fee in aid of the Hospice.”
St Ann’s Director of Fundraising and Communications, Catherine Williams said: “This was a tremendous event which was just one of hundreds held all over the world to raise awareness of hospice and palliative care. St Ann’s Hospice provides care and support for more than 3,000 people affected by life-threatening illnesses, and we need to raise an average of £16,000 a day in donations to provide the free care.”
Ann Hughes, who with her husband Dick, has helped raise nearly a million pounds for St Ann’s Hospice over the past 39 years, is retiring as a Trustee of the charity.
But thankfully she is continuing her fundraising as chairman of the Tatton Gift Fair, which raises over £20,000 every two years for the Hospice, and is due to be held in the elegant surroundings of the Tenants Hall at Tatton Park: opening by ticket only for the preview from 6pm on November 21 and then all comers from 9.30am to 3pm on the 22nd.
The couple were among the founding fundraisers for the Hospice when it was first proposed by the Bishop Greer of Manchester, and since then Ann has worked hard not only as a Trustee, but also as the founding chairman of the Starkie Committee of volunteer fundraisers. Over the past 14 years, Dick, now a retired Manchester businessman, has helped raise thousands of pounds for the Hospice by staging the annual Prestbury Golf Club charity day.
“We have both enjoyed doing what we can for the Hospice over the years and we intend to continue to do so, although I have decided it was time to retire as a Trustee,” said Ann, who now lives in retirement with her husband in Tabley.
St Ann’s Hospice patient Marjorie Ware is throwing money around after winning the prize draw at the charity’s annual gala ball at Mere Golf and Country Club.
Marjorie, 67, from Cheadle Hulme, currently an inpatient with cancer at the Hospice in Heald Green, felt well enough to don an evening gown and was escorted by her son Paul to the ball which raised more than £24,000 for St Ann’s.
“It was lovely to go with my son to the Latino Ball, and then even better when I won £150 in cash,” said Marjorie, who started throwing it around the Hospice ward on her return.
“I’m going to share my win by buying lots of treats for my fellow patients and all those who have been so kind to me,” added Marjorie, who moved from Isleworth in Middlesex to be nearer her son in Cheadle after working most of her life in the communications control room of Heathrow and Gatwick Airports.
England’s rugby squad may be busy training in Paris for Saturday’s World Cup Final but they will also be helping to raise funds for St Ann’s Hospice.
For they have signed their England team shirt brought back by Sales Sharks fly-half Charlie Hodgson after training with the squad in France. Charlie, pictured presenting the shirt to Hospice Fundraising Officer Fiona Reed, said: “The England squad were only too happy to sign the shirt and I was delighted to donate it for such a good cause.”
Fiona said: “This is a fantastic gesture by the England squad and along with the rest of the country we will be backing the team during the World Cup Final. “ The shirt will be auctioned off at the charity’s Sportsmen’s Dinner next year to raise funds for free care for patients with life-threatening illnesses across Greater Manchester.
Businesswoman Diane Hawkins is looking for backers for a 60 kilometre walk from her home town of Sandbach to St Ann’s Hospice near Manchester Airport and back, in memory of her mother, Joan Davis on 30th November.
“My Mum lived in Brooklands, Sale, and died aged 60 exactly ten years ago on 30th November, and that’s why I am walking 60km to St Ann’s and back to raise money for the Hospice which cared for her,” said Diane, aged 33, who runs a building maintenance firm CPS in Sandbach with her partner, Steve Noble.
She will be setting off from Sandbach’s ancient Saxon Crosses on the 30th and intends to walk to St Ann’s and back the following day. St Ann’s needs to raise £16,000 in donations every day to provide free care for people with life-threatening illnesses from Manchester and neighbouring parts of Cheshire.
To sponsor Diane’s walk visit www.justgiving.com/diane_hawkins, call her on 01270 764023 or e-mail dianehawkins@talktalk.net.
Salford mother-of-two Lisa Key’s lucky win on the lottery is a winner too for local charity St Ann’s Hospice – and her local corner shop.
For Lisa is among a rapidly growing number who have discovered they have a much bigger chance of winning when they have a flutter on the newly launched Big Chance Lottery at corner shops and convenience stores across Salford.
With every lottery ticket sold, 20% goes towards St Ann’s Hospice providing free care for people with life-threatening illnesses.
Lisa, aged 35, from Little Hulton, won £475 on the Big Chance Lottery by matching three numbers that came up in the National Lottery. “I would only have won £10 if it had been the National Lottery, but instead it was great to win enough to take my family away for a weekend in Wales – and contribute to a good cause whether I win or loose,” said Lisa.
Corner shopkeeper Joan Johnson, whose Food & Booze store in Cleggs Lane, Little Hulton, sold Lisa her winning ticket, is one of more than 70 shops and outlets across Greater Manchester that now sell Big Chance Lottery tickets in aid of the Hospice.
St Ann’s lottery manager Brian Goode said: “Any outlets in Greater Manchester which would like to start selling tickets in aid of the Hospice should call 0800 389 4257, where you can also find your nearest outlet.”
Angela Clarke, Clinical team leader at Neil Cliffe Cancer Care Centre attached to St Ann’s Hospice in Manchester, has been highly commended in the Excellence in Oncology Nursing Awards presented by BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour presenter Jenni Murray.
Judged by a panel from the British Oncological Association, Angela won high praise for setting up the ‘Life After Cancer’ group specially designed to help patients move on after recovery from cancer treatment.
Angela started the groups after she noticed how some patients felt lost, emotional and confused as a consequence of what they had been through. So far more than 25 patients have benefited from the group sessions that deal with physical, psychological, social and spiritual concerns experienced by those who have completed cancer treatment.
“Although it is clear how a patient is treated from the time they are diagnosed to throughout their course of treatment, the care offered after a patient has completed their treatment is often not considered,” said Angela. After researching this area, she and her team at the Neil Cliffe Centre set up a psycho-educational group to help address patients’ lifestyle: from diet and exercise to managing their emotions both in work and relationship related issues.
The judges felt that the ‘Life after Cancer’ group set up by Angela was well-thought out, novel and a multidisciplinary approach to reaching an overlooked patient group.
Local charity St Ann’s Hospice is still urging people to draw up their Will as part of their ongoing Will Writing Promotion to ensure their assets go where they want them to while at the same time raising money for the Hospice.
The changes made in the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s pre-budget speech on October 9 raising the Inheritance Tax level to £600,000 only applies to married couples. So co-habiting couples and single people would still be charged the 40% on any assets over the current £300,000 allowance.
Solicitors from all over Greater Manchester and Cheshire taking part in the promotion have agreed to donate 15% of their will-writing fee to the Hospice between now and the end of the year.
David Slack, Head of Wills & Probate at law firm Slater Heelis Collier Littler in Sale said: “I think it is important to be linked to a local charity and the work of St Ann’s Hospice in caring for those whose lives have been devastated by cancer has, over the years, been highly valued in the local community.”
St Ann’s Fundraising Officer Fiona Reed said: “We hope the Chancellor’s statement has raised the subject of writing a Will in people’s minds and that they take advantage of this great offer as dying without a Will can cause all sorts of difficulties and upset.“
A full list of supporting solicitors can be found by visiting www.sah.org.uk/willwriting or contacting Fiona Reed on 0161 498 3664, email freed@sah.org.uk
Bramall Park Golf Club in Stockport has raised an incredible £20,000 at their charity golf day to help provide free care for patients at St Ann’s Hospice.
The funds were raised at the club’s captain’s charity match, which attracted over 200 golfers. Club Captain Tony Bowden and the event organiser Andy Cotter are pictured presenting the cheque to St Ann’s Chief Executive Terry McDonnell and Corporate Fundraising Officer Dipti Lakhani at the Hospice in Heald Green.
Mr Bowden said:” St Ann’s is our local charity and we are pleased to do all we can to help them with the essential service they provide for the community.”
St Ann’s Chief Executive Terry McDonell said: “We are extremely grateful to the Captain and the members of Bramall Park Golf Club for their huge contribution and all hard work in making this event such a tremendous success.”
The Chief Executive of St Ann’s Hospice in Manchester, Terry McDonnell, has been elected the North West representative of a new Advisory Council set up by the national charity Help the Hospices.
He will be championing the cause of nearly 30 hospices from across the region in the campaign for fairer NHS funding for hospices and other major issues. “I will be liaising with other hospices in the North West to ensure that their views are taken into account by Help the Hospices nationally in devising future strategy and guidance for the hospice movement in Britain.”
Mr McDonnell has already gained support from Manchester MPs in the campaign for fairer funding from the Government for hospices, and has warned that hospices are too reliant on voluntary donations to be sustainable. St Ann’s Hospice, which provides free care and support for more than 3,000 people a year affected by life-threatening illnesses, has to raise £16,000 a day from public contributions to stay open.
Breast Cancer Awareness Week kicked off in style last Friday with St Ann's hospice launching its Ladies Fashion Lunch at the Palace Hotel in Manchester. The event ended up raising well over £17,000.
Four woman who have undergone treatment for breast cancer were among models
who showed off latest collections from Desire at Debenhams. They included Angie
Lawson, from Sale, Diane Turner from Heald Green, Margaret Thompson from Bramhall
and Idevane Spink from Poynton. This was followed by an emotional yet powerful
speech from St Ann's Hospice daycare patient Gerry Smith, from Bowden, who received
a standing ovation from guests stunned by her resilience and courage with her
battle against breast cancer.
