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Voices Unite at
Cancer Charity Fundraiser
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A popular local choir gave
a pitch perfect performance to help a Southport based fundraising
group raise hundreds of pounds to support cancer research projects
in the North West.
United Voice North West, which is fronted by Search for A Star,
regional winner James Loynes from Chorley, sang a selection of its
best songs during the sell out ‘October Song’ fundraiser held
at the West Lancashire Yacht Club on Marine Drive.
The 50 strong ensemble sang hits from popular musicals, chart
toppers and more, helping to raise £690 for North West Cancer
Research (NWCR) Incorporating Clatterbridge Cancer Research.
The charity facilitates cancer research projects in the North West,
helping to increase our understanding of cancer and how to diagnose,
treat and prevent the disease.
Over 80 people from the local community attended the event on Friday,
17 October 2014, which included a light supper and evening’s
entertainment. Additional money was raised via a raffle with all
prizes kindly donated by local residents.
The event was organised by the Southport based NWCR fundraising
committee, which has been raising vital funds for the charity since
1957. Today it has 18 volunteers, many of whom became involved in
the charity after being personally affected by cancer.
Olive Cutts, Chair of the NWCR Southport committee, said:- “I
would like to say a big thank you to everyone who helped organise
our first ever ‘October Song’, in particular Madeline
Cruikshank, Betty Robinson and Wendy Fieldhouse who took the lead on
it all.
Everyone’s hard work really paid off and we have managed to raise
such a wonderful amount of money for NWCR, to help fund research
which will directly help people living in Southport.
It was a really enjoyable evening and the United Voice choir went
down a storm with the guests, so much so that we are hoping to
organise another October Song next year.”
To date, NWCR has raised over £28million to fund cancer research
projects in the North West of England and relies on the continued
support of its fundraisers to maintain its vital work.
The Southport based fundraising committee is one of over 20
regional committees in the North West and Wales, assisted by a
network of volunteers who cover Merseyside, Cumbria, Lancashire and
Cheshire.
Anne Jackson, CEO of NWCR, added:- “We are very grateful to
the hard work of the volunteers on the Southport fundraising
committee, who never fail to amaze us with the amounts of money they
raise for NWCR.
Without the dedication of our fundraising committees, we would not
be able to support the research into cancer which we do, so thank
you to Olive and the committee, as well as everyone who turned up to
give so generously.”
More information about North West Cancer Research can be found
online at:-
nwcr.org.
Blind Veterans
UK challenges Liverpool to put their onesie on
A national military charity
is calling Liverpool to support blind ex-Service men and women in an
exciting and daring way - “Wear Your Onesie Week”.
Blind Veterans UK, the national charity for vision impaired
ex-Service men and women, is challenging anyone in Liverpool to wear
your onesie to work, school, or any public place between 17 and 23
November 2014.
Blind Veterans UK asks participants to pick a day between 17 and 23
November where they will be wearing their onesie and donate £1 to
Blind Veterans UK’s Llandudno Centre. Those who want to support but
do not have a onesie are welcome to pay a £1 onesie waiver and wear
pyjamas or casual outfit instead.
Staff and volunteers at Blind Veterans UK’s Llandudno centre are
leading the way in this challenge and will be wearing their onesies
during “Wear Your Onesie Week”.
Victoria Beech, Regional Fundraiser at Blind Veterans UK, says:-
“This event offers those who want to support Blind Veterans UK a
fun way to raise funds while being comfy in their workplace or
classroom.”
Blind Veterans UK provides exceptional support, rehabilitation,
training and recreation to blind veterans, regardless of when they
served or how they lost their sight. The Llandudno Centre was opened
in September 2011 to allow better access to blind veterans based in
the North West and Wales. All proceeds from wear your onesie week
will be used to support the work carried out at this centre.
If you’d like to do more than just wear your onesie and donate £1,
Blind Veterans UK is keen to hear from anyone who would like to
challenge a teacher or manager to wear a onesie or be sponsored by
friends and family. The charity can provide a onesie challenge pack,
so you can challenge someone to join in providing you can raise a
minimum of £50 sponsorship. You can also request a sponsor form and
collection bucket.
Get in touch today and sign up for this fun challenge - contact
Victoria Beech at:- 01492 864574 or you can also send an email:-
victoria.beech@blindveterans.org.uk
to register for “Wear Your Onesie Week”. Registration for
“Wear
Your Onesie Week” closes on 10 November 2014. MyCSP
launches apprenticeship scheme
LIVERPOOL based MyCSP, the
public sector pension administrator, has launched an apprenticeship
scheme at its Head Office.
MyCSP has welcomed 3 apprentices to the business and enrolled them
on a programme which will last for at least 18 months.
The scheme will provide the apprentices with an all round skill set
by working in a number of teams within MyCSP including the Contact
Centre, Pension Administration, IT Systems and Corporate Services
including Finance, Human Resources and Marketing. They will also
receive training one day a week in business administration by local
company, Sysco, as part of the national apprenticeship scheme.
Richard Wainwright, head of operations, MyCSP (Liverpool), said:-
“MyCSP has had a very successful first two years and believes
that with that comes the responsibility of nurturing young talent.
We want to offer bright school leavers the opportunity to embark on
a good, solid career path, where they will receive excellent
hands-on training and have the chance to learn from experts in the
pensions field. Our employees are very important to the running of
the business and they work extremely hard. We always reward hard
work and believe there are young people out there who could really
benefit from working with MyCSP. MyCSP is serious about its social responsibilities and is
committed to setting aside resources to support our communities, it
is an important part of the ethos for our mutual company”.
The apprenticeship scheme is part
of MyCSP’s 1+1+1 Programme which commits MyCSP to offering 1% of
total headcount to apprentices and interns. |
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Highlighting the
plight of homeless ex-Forces as new campaign aims to turn the #LightsOnForVeterans
ONE of the country’s
largest housing associations which specialises in providing support
for homeless Veterans, has launched a new campaign to put the #LightsOnForVeterans.
The campaign is part of Riverside housing’s response to over 1000
enquiries annually from Veterans in housing need, and comes just as
the nation prepares to turn its clocks back and put lights on
earlier in the evenings.
During 2014 Riverside has already helped over 1,000 Veterans and
their autumn survey has shown there are 35% more in the 30 to 50 age
range who need intensive support, compared to those under 30.
Younger Veterans have benefitted from more focused national support
as part of Government initiatives since 2011 aimed at supporting
younger people.
Riverside’s Executive Director of Care and Support, Leanne Hearne,
said:- “During such an important commemoration year when we
have been reminded of how the Lights Went Out all over Europe in
1914 we are making a firm commitment to continue expanding our
support for Veterans, particularly older ex-Servicemen and women who
can find it hard to return to civilian life after serving many years
in the Armed Forces.
Riverside runs the country’s main housing advice and accommodation
helpline for homeless Veterans and this gives us a unique insight
into the challenges they face. Over the last three years we have
seen a marked increase in older Veterans needing our specialist
housing and therapeutic support services.
This summer we signed up to the national Armed Forces Corporate
Covenant and as a next step Riverside staff will be standing
alongside some of the Veterans currently using our services, retired
representatives from those who served in World War II and those
still currently serving their country, in order to make a commitment
to continue to support them. We will be launching an online campaign
to put the #LightsOnForVeterans and make sure every Veteran who
faces homelessness knows where to receive help if they need it.”
Riverside’s specialist support for
Veterans started in 2000 when it set up a groundbreaking partnership
with the Ministry of Defence to provide housing advice and support
to the small proportion of Veterans who struggle to make the
transition back into civilian life when they leave the Armed Forces.
Each year Riverside now supports around 1,200 Veterans including in
specialist temporary housing and enterprise centres, which have been
set up and run by staff who themselves come from an Armed Forces
background.
Over 40% of Veterans in their specialist centres have mental health
problems, with a total of 26% discharged from the Armed Forces on
medical grounds. Riverside conducted a survey in September 2014
which highlighted the increasing plight and need levels of older
Veterans between 30 and 50 years.
The ‘Lights On For Veterans’ campaign is supported by
soldiers from the 2nd Battalion the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment who
showed their support for ex-servicemen and women at risk of
homelessness. The Light Role Infantry Battalion is trained to
conduct offensive and defensive combat operations in all types of
terrain, from built up areas to the jungle.
Regimental Sergeant Major S T McDermott, said:- “Our soldiers
and officers have to be fit, robust and determined. It might be
strange to think a soldier back from Afghanistan could end up on the
streets, but not everyone adjusts easily to Civvy Street.
Vulnerability is hard to admit for people trained to face up to
tough situations so we felt it important to visibly support these
lifeline services. It could easily be one of us facing difficulties
next.”
The Light Role Infantry Battalion recruits from the North West of
England with most members of the Battalion coming from Cumbria,
Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside.
On August 4, the nation was invited to participate in ‘Lights Off’
and plunge into darkness and light a single candle for a shared
moment of reflection to mark the day Britain entered World War I and
the lamps went out over Europe.
Statistics from the Ministry of Defence in 2014 show that up to
11,000 serving members of the military have been diagnosed with
mental health conditions, including PTSD and depression. These
figures do not take into account the substantial number of those who
suffer mental illnesses after leaving the Services.
Leanne added:- “The majority of Veterans adjust to civilian
life successfully, but for some it can be daunting, so Riverside is
working hard with the Ministry of Defence to provide the services
and support to meet this need including a new specialist development
for Veterans in Colchester which was announced in the summer.”
Woolton
scoops gold award
WOOLTON village has once
again proved its fabulous floral displays are a cut above the rest.
Judges from the National Royal Horticultural Society gathered last
night to celebrate horticulture’s highest achievers from across the
country.
Woolton village represented the North West and was awarded a gold
medal in the ‘Champion of Champions’ category, fighting off fierce
competition from Ulster, London and Scotland with the overall
winning title going to Shrewsbury.
The team were highly commended for their efforts, which included a
bed of poppies surrounding a sculpture of a soldier to commemorate
the start of World War One.
Woolton In Bloom chairwoman Barbara Mace, said:- "We are
absolutely delighted with this latest achievement, it is the
pinnacle of all our hard work and dedication which we started way
back in 2001.
This is one of many successes for everyone involved in Woolton in
Bloom and it could not have been done without the fantastic team of
volunteers.
I hope this win can spur us on to keep creating beautiful and
eye catching floral displays for residents and visitors to enjoy
year after year.”
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