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Local Events
Central England
Community Development Officer, Jo Kennedy
Hello, my name is Jo Kennedy, and I am your local Community Development Officer covering
the Central Region.
I support the following counties: Leicestershire and Rutland, Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire,
Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire.
My role is to offer support to the families and individuals in my region, whose lives have been touched by meningitis; ensuring that they know about the range of support services we have to offer.
Raising awareness of the Trust and the disease is also a key part of my role, so I regularly visit local community groups, schools and universities to give talks about the work that we do at the Trust and the devastating impact of meningitis.
I also work with supporters who want to fundraise for the Trust, usually because they have been affected by meningitis through a personal or family experience. I offer my help and support by providing literature, presentations, awareness talks, event support or just a friendly chat over a cup of coffee.
If I can help out with anything you are planning or if you need more information about the work of the Trust, then please do either give me a call on 0845 120 4886 or email me at: joannek@meningitis-trust.org
Raising awareness
An important part of my role in the community is to make people aware of meningitis and its signs and symptoms. Recently I’ve visited St John’s Ambulance, Baby Sitting Group, NHS Direct, Junior Nurses Training and Rotary Clubs, along with schools and nurseries. These are great ways of getting our information out there and raising the profile of the Trust, but I do need your help. If you know any local groups, schools or clubs that would be interested in having a talk, then I would love to hear from you. We have a wide range of information and awareness materials available including leaflets, posters and our signs and symptoms cards.
Robin Hinks suffered severe brain damage after contracting pneumococcal meningitis in January 2004 and lost part of his short-term and all of his long-term memory. His recovery meant re-learning virtually everything. To help others that have suffered severe brain injuries, Robin has put together a presentation of his journey and what helped him overcome his memory problems. Robin would be delighted to talk to any local groups, schools or clubs about memory loss and how he managed his recovery. To request a talk or a copy of his presentation, please do not hesitate to contact me on 0845 120 4886.
A BIG thank you goes to...
Everyone who attended the sell-out 'Bfestival' and helped to raise an amazing £1265 in celebration of the life of Andy Burroughs, who sadly died on Christmas Day aged just 26.
Organised by Andy’s colleagues at BT, the night was based on Andy’s love of music and festivals, so live bands and special guests, The Believers, The Tuffinettes and Warehouse entertained the crowd along with the very popular ‘Air Guitar Hero’ competition, which alone raised nearly £200.
Mike Ellen who celebrated his 40th birthday on 21 March at The Old Bell Hotel in Stansted and raised a fantastic £650 from donations given on the evening.
Mike’s eldest daughter, Cara, suffered with meningitis twice when she was a baby. Thankfully she made a full recovery and is pictured left with her two sisters, eight month old Pippa and six year old Zena.
Charity of the Year Partnership
Chairman of North-West Leicestershire Council, Councillor Alison Smith, chose the Meningitis Trust as her Charity of the Year for 2008/09.
Her events throughout the year included her Charity Launch, a Cheese & Wine Evening in June which raised £436.70, an awareness stall at the Heart of the Forest Festival, Measham, and three very successful bucket collections at Picnic in the Park Family Arts Festival, Tescos and Morrisons in Coalville. A restaurant night at Donington-Le-Heath Manor House Museum and a Ladies Christmas Evening at Staunton Harold Hall raised a further £210 and £687.02 respectively.
The Chairman’s Civic Dinner was held on Friday 8th May at the Hilton East Midlands Hotel in Derby and a fantastic £1300 was raised at the Charity Fun Casino held on the night.
The Chairman’s Appeal came to an end on May 12 and the Appeal Total is just over £7000 so far with further monies still to come. A massive thank you to Councillor Alison Smith for her fundraising support and continuous campaigning to raise awareness throughout her year in office.
Anyone for golf?
Stuart Morris, from Harwell in Oxfordshire, has a personal reason to support the Trust; his daughter Carys contracted bacterial meningitis five years ago when she was 4 weeks old.
Fortunately, she made a full recovery and as a thank you for the support he and his family received during the difficult time, keen golfer Stuart is organising a Charity Golf Day at Sandford Springs Golf Club in Kingslere, Hampshire on Friday July 3.
Sandford Springs is a stunning 18-hole course and the day’s activities include:
Coffee/Bacon roll on arrival
9 holes with prizes
Light lunch
18 holes Stableford (Win a car on the Par 3 12th)
2-course dinner prize giving
Fantastic raffle & auction
All for just £300 per team of 4 with all the proceeds to the Meningitis Trust.
If you fancy a good days golfing, please call Stuart on 01235 464904 or check out the Golf Day Website at http://www.meningitistrustcharitygolfday.co.uk/
Be a Meningitis Trust 'All Star'
Why not aim to get fit at the same time as raising vital funds for the Meningitis Trust?
There are lots of running events throughout the region from fun runs to full marathons. To search for a race near to you then the Runners World web site has a full list.
Or organise a sponsored bike ride; no matter what your ability, there will be a cycle route close to you. The Sustrans website has a searchable map where you can find out about routes in your local area. Just click here to see what’s near you.
We can provide sponsor forms; advice on how to set up your own ‘Just Giving’ web site; collection tins; a letter of authority (to say that you’re raising funds for the Trust); a Meningitis Trust T-shirt or vest; training advice; and of course lots of support.
5K Big Fun Runs
Leicester - Abbey Park on Sat 22 Aug 2009
http://www.bigfunrun.com/?leicester&locations_id=5
Milton Keynes - Willen Lake Park on Sun 27 Sep 2009
http://www.bigfunrun.com/?milton_keynes&locations_id=10
To enter a big fun run, please click on one of the above links or visit www.bigfunrun.com and select your chosen venue and the Meningitis Trust as your chosen charity.
When you register you will receive a free Meningitis Trust fundraising pack which includes a t-shirt, fundraising ideas, sponsorship forms, and training tips to prepare you for the big day. We will be here to support you before, during and after your run.
Skydiving
Feeling brave? Why not take part in the ultimate challenge in 2009 and skydive for the
Meningitis Trust?
Louise Gardener from Banbury, Oxfordshire organised a skydiving day in memory of her son Cameron Lee Grieve who died of meningitis five years ago aged 4½ yrs old.
On the 5th anniversary of his death Louise, husband Andy, Cameron’s auntie and cousin, and other friends and family took part in a tandem skydive at Hinton in the Hedges Airfield.
All of the 18 jumpers landed safety and raised double what they originally hoped, a fantastic £6000 for the Trust – Louise (pictured below with husband Andy) said ‘I am very grateful to everyone who took part and to the people who sponsored us, we all had an amazing day in memory of my beautiful son Cameron. I would urge anyone who was thinking of doing a skydive for the charity to complete the challenge, as it’s a breathtaking experience and so rewarding doing it for such a worthy course. I miss Cameron very much and nothing will bring him back but if I can help others by raising money then that brings a little comfort.’
You can jump for free if you raise a minimum amount of sponsorship. There are a variety of venues across the country where you can jump and it is available all year round. Why not arrange a jump with a group of friends or work colleagues?
For an information pack or to find out more, please contact me at joannek@meningitis-trust.org or on 0845 120 4886, or click here to register on line.
Organise your own event
Do you have an idea of your own event in mind? If so, please get in touch. We can provide you with advice and answers to any questions you may have, and help with a press release to let your local media know about your event. We also have a range of fundraising materials on offer to help promote your event.
For information pack, which includes our calendar of fundraising ideas for further suggestions for fundraising events, please contact me on 0845 120 4886 or joannek@meningitis-trust.org.
That’s all for now but I will keep you updated with all upcoming events.
Don’t forget if you would like to help the work of the Meningitis Trust in the Central Region, call 0845 120 4886 or email joannek@meningitis-trust.org
