July 2010 Newsletter – Impact Living – Believe in a better life

Welcome to the July edition of the makeabigdifference newsletter. In this mid-summer edition, we bring you the latest fundraising stories from up and down the country, including sponsored walks and marathons, fancy dress fundraising collections and the success of the medieval event in Sheriff Hutton.

There is also the latest cancer news which this month highlights the alarming number of young people who are risking their life by getting sunburnt in order to achieve ‘the perfect tan’.

In Katie’s Corner, the lovely Katie Brooman shares her snaps taken with famous people at various cancer concerts and conferences.

As well as the regular articles we also share some very exciting news about 2 of our young heroes!

On a personal note I would like to send my heartfelt condolences to my friend Tui Wagstaff who’s beautiful little boy Harry passed away from cancer on the 18^th June 2010. The incredible strength, bravery and courage shown by this family has simply blown me away and my thoughts and prayers are with them at this extremely difficult time.

Kim Tetlaw

Editor

With thanks to….

Young Heroes would like to thank Karen at TodaySure Projects Ltd (http://www.todaysure.com).

Karen and friends took part in the Saddleworth Beer Walk 2010, a long standing tradition organised by the Round Table where some fifteen hundred people in fancy dress walked an eleven mile route through five villages and back, being rewarded with a beer at ten beer stations along the way.

Through collection buckets Karen and friends raised an impressive ?83.66.

Many thanks for your support.

Bradford City Run 2010

On Sunday 17th October, runners of every age and ability will take in the sights as they head through picturesque parks, streets and countryside in the Bradford City Run 2010.

Joining them will be Eddie Robinson from Bradford who has chosen to support Young Heroes by completing the grueling 13.2 miles marathon.

The city run, which is in its 2^nd year, begins in the centre of Bradford at the Alhambra Theatre, then passing through Bradford City before wending its way through the iconic Brontë Countryside, before finishing in front of the crowds back in the beautiful Lister Park.

Although Eddie has done fundraising events in the past, running a marathon is certainly a first

and to prepare his body for such a physical challenge he has busy training in the gym and running, hoping that by October he will be in peak condition.

Young Heroes are delighted that Eddie has chosen to support us and wish him every success. Please show your support and sponsor him today by visiting his JustGiving page http://www.justgiving.com/Eddie-Robinson

Blast from the Past

Despite its rural location, the idyllic village of Sheriff Hutton in York was bustling with activity on Saturday 26^th June.

The village was host to a fantastic Medieval Picnic organised by the current owners of the castle, Dr Richard and Jenny Howarth and their committee, with proceeds going to Young Heroes.

With perfect weather conditions, an amazing turn out and a warm and friendly atmosphere, the medieval event offered a fancy dress parade, cream teas, face painting, craft stalls, a tug of war competition and wacky races to name but a few. Live music was performed by The Salvation Army Band who played beautifully adding to the ambience of the day.

The lawns within the castle were strewn with folk, young and old, enjoying picnics and participating in the games and the total raised for Young Heroes was ?300.

This isn’t the first fundraising event held by the community of Sheriff Hutton. Back in 2008 the Sheriff Hutton Jumblies raised a staggering ?1512.05 through one of their much sought after jumble sales. More recently there was a sponsored walk organised by the Forest of Galtrees benefice to support the charity.

Young Heroes would like to say a big thank you to all who took part in the medieval picnic; you made it such a great success.

Congratulations

Everybody at Young Heroes wishes’ to congratulate Chris Taylor and Sarah Mcallister on their most exciting news.

In a double celebration, Young hero Chris and girlfriend Sarah not only have their recent engagement to celebrate but shortly afterwards announced they were expecting their first child together.

The couple, both from Wythenshawe, first met at Christie Hospital in Manchester where Chris was treated for Osteosarcoma. Sarah worked at the hospital as did both their mums. Once introduced, the pair began dating and soon became the best of friends and totally inseparable.

10 months on, they live together in their own house in Woodhouse Park and are getting excited about their new arrival due next February.

Whilst they are waiting for the next scan to reveal the sex of the baby, the couple believe they are having a boy who will be a little brother (or sister) to Sarah’s beautiful daughter Shae (17 months).

Congratulations Chris and Sarah!

Colin’s Canal Street adventure

Manchester’s Canal Street is used to seeing its fair share of colourful characters but on Saturday 26^th June, ‘the village’ was graced by the presence of Captain America, Vicky Pollard and a whole host of cowboys, prisoners and latin dancers…..

The friendly invasion was organised by Colin Swinney, proprietor of CRS Insurance Services to help raise money for Young Heroes and took approximately 3 months of planning.

“I always wanted to help a charity in some way and why not help a charity that is also a client” he says “Young Heroes gives help to youngsters who need a break and help with cancer and I think that is very worthwhile”.

Colin, along with 6 friends wore fancy dress costumes on the night which helped them stand out from the crowd “The people in the village generally loved it especially the hen night parties”. He says.

The lads were accompanied by Young Heroes employees Sharon Brown and Nicola Mullen where they spent a couple of hours in bars in Manchester’s most famous and open-minded street (alongside Coronation Street) shaking fundraising buckets and entertaining revelers; raising a fantastic ?183.56 from donations.

“The night was good fun but hard work” Colin says, “Some people were generous in giving money while others were rude, but on the whole I would definitely consider doing it again”.

Well done everyone for making the event the success that it was and showing your support for our charity, as Sharon Brown recently said “Saturday nights will never be the same again”.

Congratulations

Congratulations to young hero Akky Rahman for passing his driving test on the 14^th July.

Well done Akky and happy motoring!

Forest of Galtres Benefice sponsored walk

Young Heroes would like to thank the Forest of Galtres benefice and the Stillington walkers for taking part in a sponsored 12.5 mile walk in aid of Young Heroes.

The walk took place on Saturday 22^nd May and the already grueling 12 miles was made all the more challenging by the soaring temperatures and blazing sun.

However, the well planned walk catered for all conditions and regular refreshment stops were taken in the churches along the way; much to the relief of the walkers who relished in the cool surroundings and recharged themselves for the next leg of their walk.

Caroline Hunt, administrator of the benefice said “it was so hot on the day and not surprisingly there was a reduced turnout as people were put-off by the heat” she goes onto say “however it was a lovely walk and we had wonderful hospitality from the churches on the way. The churches were deliciously cool too!” she laughs.

Caroline’s 2 children Amy (11) and Tom (8) also completed the walk “It was a huge achievement for them to finish the walk – they took their ‘Young Heroes’ bears with them for moral support which did the trick”.

Well done to Caroline, Amy and Tom and indeed to everyone who arranged, took part in the walk and all those who donated on the day bringing the total raised to a phenomenal ?443.96.

Receiving the cheque on behalf of Young Heroes was newsletter columnist/young hero Katie Brooman, who is pictured below with benefice treasurer John Oakley.

Thank you once again for all your support.

Fundraising Idea of the Month

Bingo is popular all around the world. It’s a really sociable game, lots of fun and easy to organise and makes a great fundraiser for churches, schools, sports clubs and work places.

Choosing your venue

This of course depends on how many people you think you will attract to your event. Church halls, school halls, pubs or social clubs are ideal. Most bingo nights will include some form of refreshment so you need to factor in catering facilities and a bar if you require one.

Food

This can take many forms depending on the culinary abilities of your group and the facilities at your venue. It is good to include some form of refreshment however to make a real night of it.

Often tickets for the Bingo Night can be sold to include some kind of meal.

Things that can be cooked by volunteers in advance and then reheated at the venue are ideal. How about: Curry, Chilli Con Carne, Pizza or Spaghetti Bolognaise

Drinks

You will need to offer some form of drink be it soft drinks, alcohol or simple teas and coffees.

With alcohol sometimes it’s easier to perhaps offer food but allow the venue to supply the bar.

Another simple option is to have a BYOB (bring your own bottle) system; this also can get you around licensing requirements. Don’t forget to state this on your tickets and advertising.

The Bingo Cards

Bingo cards can be easily purchased online or from charity supply companies.

It is not too difficult however to make and print your own using a simple grid system. 10 – 14 numbers per card is normal. Most bingo sets use numbers 1 to 100.

It is normal to keep things in numerical order as you move either across or down the card. Some people like to purchase extra cards and will be marking off several at once so this keeps things easy. Whatever cards you use have plenty of pens on hand for people to use.

The Bingo Caller

Choosing the right Bingo Caller is very important and can make or break your evening. You need someone reasonably authoritative but who can also make the night good-natured and fun.

Bingo Lingo

It is traditional and greatly adds to the fun if the caller uses particular calls for certain numbers. You can learn them online by visiting http://www.apennyearned.co.uk/bingo-terms

Prizes

This is really up to you and depends on the nature of your event. Most charity bingo events are however played for the fun of it and your prizes should reflect this. Funny prizes can add to the success of the evening. You may like to ask for donated prizes in advance or buy in suitable items.

How To Make Money From A Bingo Night

You can charge for the evening in various ways. Some organisations prefer an all in price for the evening which will include a card for every game and refreshments. Others prefer to charge per game. Always offer the option of purchasing extra cards as a way of boosting the night’s takings.

Do make sure that all your other usual fundraisers, such as items for sale, are on offer during the night. A raffle is also a must and is an extra bit of fun for the middle of the evening.

Good Luck!

In Memory of Cliff Jennings

Staff at Young Heroes were saddened to hear about the sudden death of Cliff Jennings last month.

Cliff, the well-loved caretaker at The Angel Healthy Living Centre, Salford, died on 18^th June 2010 whilst on holiday in Bulgaria.

We would like to pass on our

deepest sympathies to his family especially

wife Gina and children Sara,

Clare and Mandy.

He will be greatly missed.

Latest Cancer News

Teenagers get sunburnt on purpose

More than a quarter of teenagers will get sunburnt on purpose this summer in the belief that they will ultimately get a suntan, a survey has found.

The Teenage Cancer Trust discovered that 26 per cent of young people aged 13 to 19; plan to get sunburnt on purpose this year.

Almost a third of respondents said they never used sun cream in the UK and 55 per cent wrongly thought the British sun was not as harmful as overseas.

More than one-fifth admitted they had been badly burnt after falling asleep in the sun and 74 per cent were under the impression that they would never get burnt on a cloudy day.

The shoulders are the most common area of skin to be burnt (47 per cent of teenagers), while the arms and nose are the next most frequently burned.

However, a fifth revealed that they put sun cream on to attract attention from the opposite sex and 16 per cent said they had asked someone to apply sun cream on hard-to-reach places as a chat-up line.

Simon Davies, chief executive of the Teenage Cancer Trust, said: “We’ve found that young people display a worrying lack of awareness when it comes to protecting their skin from the sun.

“We are trying to educate them to prevent the overexposure to sun whilst young, which can lead to problems with skin cancer later in life.”

The charity has launched its sun safety campaign, Shunburn, which asks young people to ‘love the sun, respect your skin’.

Mr Davies said: “If we can stop just one young person from developing skin cancer when they are older, then this year’s Shunburn campaign will have been worth it.”

Ed Yong, head of health information at Cancer Research UK, said: “It’s worrying that so many teenagers are prepared to go through the pain and discomfort of sunburn for the sake of a tan.

“Sunburn is basically a radiation burn. It means that the DNA in your skin has been damaged by the sun’s ultraviolet radiation. Even after the sunburn fades, this damage can remain and greatly increase the risk of skin cancer later on in life. People with fair skin who burn easily but tan with difficulty should take particular care to avoid sunburn.”

Sourced from http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/news/archive/cancernews

With thanks

Young Heroes would like to thank Katie Brooman for kindly donating 2 TV’s to the charity which will be utilised at our Wilfred Drive supported housing complex.

Many thanks Katie

Katie’s Corner

Through my treatment there were a lot of tough times, but also some good ones too, this is thanks to charities like Impact Young Heroes who support young people with cancer and people like you who fundraise and donate to make a BIG difference to help young people with cancer enjoy their good days through very difficult treatment regimes. In this month’s Katie’s corner I would like to share a few of my photo memories with you.