Pyramids store
manager helps stage Zumbathon event to raise cash for children's
cancer charity
A BIRKENHEAD store manager
is using her Zumba moves to support a good friend and raise money
for the charity which helped her fight leukaemia when she was a
teenager.
For the past 4 years 41 year old Sarah Hastie, who heads the sales
team at Trespass in Pyramids Shopping Centre, Birkenhead, has been
mad keen on Zumba, the Latin inspired dance fitness programme which
is now sweeping the world.
Its hectic workouts have helped her to shed an amazing 10½ stone and she's become such an enthusiast that she recently
qualified as an instructor to host her own weekly class.
Sarah is now putting her expertise to good use by helping to lead a
big charity Zumbathon organised by close friend and fellow Zumba fan
Kesiena Ovien in aid of CHICS; the Children's Cancer Support Group.
The charity supports families going through cancer and helped
Kesiena during her own battle with leukaemia when she was in her
teens. The charity zumbathon is being sponsored by the
Liverpool-based Hampson Hughes Solicitors where Kesiena works as a
trainee solicitor.
Sarah, who lives in Knowsley Village, Liverpool, explained that she
originally took up Zumba as a way of getting fit as her 40th
birthday approached. She said:- "I'd always been fairly
large and when I reached the age of 37 I weighed 19 stones.
I decided it was time to do something about it, so I started on a
healthy eating programme and also looked around for some sort of
exercise I could do.
I heard about the Zumba class at my local village hall and took
myself down there. I just loved it and haven't looked back since.
In the past 4 years I've been doing Zumba I've lost 10 and a half
stones and now weigh about 8 and a half stones.
When I started doing Zumba I was a bit self-conscious but within a
few weeks I'd moved from the back of the class to the front.
It's so empowering and it doesn't matter what you look like, how old
you are or whether you're male or female.
We do it to all sorts of dance styles like flamenco, salsa and
street and it's very exciting. Some people call it exercise in
disguise. It's also such a laugh to take part in.
Both my daughters, Courtney, who is 16, and Erin, who is 12, both
love Zumba as much as I do."
Sarah, who has been with Trespass for 7 years and has managed the
Pyramids store for the past 6 months, added:- "I wanted to
pass the enjoyment and benefits on to others, so I trained as a Zumba instructor and now have my own group which meets in Prescott
on Merseyside every week and attracts about 20 people, both men and
women.
I've also done quite a few Zumbathons in aid of various charities
over the past few years, including Comic Relief a couple of times.
It was at the Comic Relief event last year that I first met my
friend Kesiena Ovien. She had leukaemia when she was younger and is
just an amazing person.
She's training to be a solicitor with a Hampson Hughes Solicitors,
who are sponsoring the event, and has qualified as a Zumba
instructor herself.
Kesiena is organising a Zumbathon in aid of the children's cancer
support group CHIC'S at the Wavertree Lifestyle Centre on Sunday,
April 27 and I'm one of a number of instructors who will be helping
her.
The instructors will be on a big stage up front and will lead the
rest in a non-stop exercise routine lasting for three hours from
1pm to 4pm.
We're expecting around 150 people to turn up and help raise as much
money as possible for CHICS through sponsorship. They'll be coming
from all over Merseyside and the Wirral and there will be girls and
even a few guys joining in. I just can't wait to do it because it will be so much fun. I'm
also delighted to be helping CHICS which does such marvellous work.
It helps to support the whole family of a child diagnosed with
cancer in a variety of ways like producing a regular newsletter,
drop-in centres and parent meetings. There's also a telephone
befriending service, trips and parties and holidays for the children
and their families."
Derek Millar, Commercial Director for Pyramids Shopping Centre,
said:- "I wish Sarah and her friend Kesiena lots of luck with
their very energetic efforts for CLICS. It sounds like a fantastic
charity to raise money for."
Sarah's friend Kesiena Ovien, who is 26 and comes from Liverpool,
said:- "I was diagnosed with leukaemia when I was 13. I had
treatment for 3 years and, touch wood, I am free of it now. It was while I was having my treatment in Alder Hey Hospital
that I had my first contact with CHICS. They were fantastic and
helped me and my family so much that I wanted to do something to
help them in return.
I'm a trainee solicitor at Hampson Hughes Solicitors in Liverpool
and I'm also the charity co-ordinator for the Merseyside Junior
Lawyers group. When they were looking round for a suitable charity
to support I suggested CHICS.
As I'm very keen on Zumba and have been an instructor for the past
year and a half I came up with the idea of doing a Zumbathon on
behalf of CHICS."
Kesiena added:- "The event is being hosted by Merseyside
Juniors Lawyers and sponsored by my law firm, Hampson Hughes
Solicitors.
About 20 instructors from across Merseyside and the Wirral,
including Sarah, have agreed to help on the day, so it should be a
fantastic occasion.
I've set a fundraising target of £3,000 for the event, but if we
could get even more than that it would be marvellous."
To support the Zumbathon event go to Kesiena's charity
page.
Army Cadet Band
Concert to be held
OVER 300 musical Army
Cadets from all over the country attend at Altcar Training Camp each
year for a week of musical instruction, training and assessment.
This year it is from 14th to 18th April. The best of these are
chosen as the National Army Cadet Band &Corps of Drums who then
perform together. A concert will then take place on Wednesday, 16
April 2014, from 7:30pm at Ince Blundell Village Hall, Lady Green
Lane. Tickets will be £5 and concessions available from £3 via
Formby Books, Formby Hardware or Hightown Village Store. For
information ring:- 01704 871927 or 01704 874101. This event has been
held for the last few years and is thoroughly enjoyed by all. Half
of the proceeds goes to the Poppy Appeal to help service and
ex-service personnel, the other half goes to provide instruments for
the Band. |
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Vital funding up
for grabs for innovative social businesses
2 specialist social
investment organisations based in the North West, First Ark and
Fusion21, have challenged early stage social businesses across the
region to apply for vital investment capital and business mentoring
support to help propel their ventures to the next level.
The opportunity to grab a share of a funding pot worth £500,000 is
open specifically to social businesses, which are enterprises that
are created and designed to address a specific social problem. In
particular, social businesses generate profits which are invested
back into the business itself to help it grow, or are used to start
other social businesses, with the ultimate aim of increasing social
impact.
First Ark and Fusion21 are 2 of the partners which have provided
funding towards the national Corporate Social Venturing (CSV)
Challenge run by Big Issue Invest, the social investment arm of the
Big Issue. The CSV Challenge is seeking up to 20 teams from across
the UK to join an intensive mentoring programme. At the end, 10
finalists will be chosen to receive an investment of up to £50,000
each, as well as on-going business support.
Social enterprises, charities, public sector spin-outs or any
businesses across Merseyside/the North West with a social mission
are encouraged to apply. To be considered for investment, ventures
must be able to deliver high social impact, have a track record and
ambitious development plan, and be working in the fields of health,
education, wellbeing, homelessness or the creative industries.
Bob Taylor, chief executive at First Ark, comments:- "At First
Ark we're passionate about creating opportunities for social
businesses to succeed and we've invested in this exciting programme
because it will stimulate and enable enterprise and enterprising
people here in Merseyside/the North West to reach their potential
and generate a huge social impact. It's an amazing opportunity to
make a real and sustainable difference to people and local economies
and we're delighted to be one of the corporate partners."
Dave Neilson, chief executive at social housing procurement
specialist Fusion21, adds:- "As a social enterprise we are
committed to encouraging the growth of social ventures that will
help to stimulate the economy and create jobs where they are most
needed. Fusion21 has committed considerable financial investment to
this scheme. As corporate partners we are looking forward to working
and supporting social businesses tackling some of the toughest
challenges in society."
Nigel Kershaw, CEO of Big Issue Invest and Chair of Big Issue,
said:- "The Corporate Social Venturing programme is core to
The Big Issue's mission. We don't want people ending up on the
streets and that's why we're investing in brilliant social ventures
that create jobs, training, accommodation and wellbeing. It's all
about prevention.
The relationship we have with our corporate partners is not some
fly-by-night 'social wash'; it's for real. They are putting
in their own money and time to nurture these social ventures in the
long term."
The initiative is an innovative partnership between Big Issue Invest
and Barclays, with investment and support from 5 partners why are:-
Experian, First Ark, Fusion21, Places for People, and The University
of Northampton. The Challenge is also supported by the Cabinet
Office, as part of the £10m Social Investment Fund.
Interested social businesses can visit:-
bigissueinvest-csv.com to apply. The deadline for
applications is 5pm on 19.
Sidmouth
Lifeboat on Bike's team Visits Southport Lifeboat
Photographs and report by
Scott
Harrison.
ON Tuesday 8 April 2014
Sidmouth Lifeboat on Bikes (SLOBS) team came to Southport Lifeboat
house. The Sidmouth Lifeboat on bikes is riding around the UK to as
many INDEPENDENT LIFEBOAT'S as they can. On Tuesday they went from
Carlisle to Southport. Sidmouth Lifeboat are Raising money to buy a
new back-up boat.
Southport Lifeboat would like to thank the Rotary Clubs of
Southport, Southport Meols, Southport Links and Southport Sunrise
for their kind donation of £200. Sidmouth Lifeboat also received
£200.
Pictured here is Tony
D'Arcy-Masters from Southport Lifeboat with the Rotary Clubs of
Southport receiving £200.
You can see
video footage of Sidmouth Lifeboat on bikes team leaving the
Southport Lifeboat House on
YouTube.
Southport Lifeboat and Sidmouth Lifeboat are both INDEPENDENT
LIFEBOAT'S and receive NO funding from the RNLI. Both Lifeboat's are
depend entirely on donations from the public. They both receive no
Government grants.
If you would like to follow the Sidmouth Lifeboat on bikes team here
is the
Facebook
and for more information about
Sidmouth Lifeboat visit:-
sidmouthlifeboat.org.uk.
To see more information about Southport Lifeboat you can visit:-
southport-lifeboat.co.uk. |