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London calling for 'Charity
Man' Davie
AN employee at the Royal Liverpool and
Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust who lost over 6 stone by taking up
running, is challenging others to go the extra mile as he tackles his first
marathon for R Charity.
This
 year,
'Charity Man' Davie Thompson from Walton, will take part in
the 2015 London Marathon; just 18 months after weighing over 20 stone. 30 year old Davie, a junior information analyst for the Trust, has gone through
a staggering transformation in that time. losing over 6 stone and is now setting
his sights on the world famous event to raise £2,000 for R Charity, which will
go towards breast cancer services in the new Royal. "I was around 21 stone
before I started running. I'd lost some weight through jogging and playing
football, but one day I signed up to do a 5k in Liverpool and it turned out to
be one of the best decisions of my life."
In a dramatic change of lifestyle, Davie is
now a coach at Liverpool Running Club and is preparing for one of the biggest
races in the world; the London Marathon. "When I started running, the London Marathon was the dream. I watched it
the telly before then and it always looked great. Since I've started at the
Liverpool Running Club, everyone there has said I should do at least one
marathon. I applied to be race through the ballot, but wasn't successful."
Luck was on Davie's side however, when R Charity advertised the chance to run in
the prestigious event.
He said:- "When I saw the advert I got in touch straight away. I'd raised
money for R Charity before so I had planned to raise funds for them anyway; when
I was accepted I was made up."
The money raised will go towards cancer equipment in the new Royal's mammography
unit. He chose R Charity partly due to working for the Royal, but there was also
a much more personal reason too.
 Davie's mum Linda was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012 when she was 66.
Linda was treated at the Royal and went through a mastectomy procedure in order
to treat the cancer, which was a success. "My mum was treated at the Royal, so to be able to help raise funds for
the hospital that saved her life would be amazing. I'll be raising funds for a
new mammography machine, which will mean a lot more women can be checked,
diagnosed and treated for breast cancer much earlier."
Davie has previously raised funds for R Charity by running in the Spring 10k,
dressed head to toe in superhero gear, but Davie will be taking the marathon a
lot more seriously:- "When I ran the Liverpool Spring 10k, people were cheering me on because
of my outfit – one young lad shouted 'come on Charity Man' which was fantastic.
But running in a mask was 1 of the worst feelings ever; it was horrible! I won't
need the outfit for the London marathon anyway. People I've spoken to who have
run the race before say the crowd really push you on with support and
encouragement – I can't wait for that."
And Davie's goal is a simple one:- "To finish!" He told us:-
"As it's my first one I just want to finish – considering where I was 18
months ago that would be a huge achievement.
I'm not racing against anybody except myself and being able to do it whilst
helping a local charity makes it even more special. I think people should
definitely get involved in going the extra mile this year for R Charity I
used to look at other people running in the street and think 'why bother', but
now I can talk about running all day – it's really changed my life."
You can donate £5 to Davie's marathon run by texting:- 'DTLM48 £5'
to:- 70070.
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Harveys
Furniture opens new store at Southport
HARVEYS Furniture is opening a brand
new concept store at Meols Cop Centre, Fowl Lane, Southport, and is holding a
Grand Launch Weekend on 21 February to 22 February 2015, to raise funds for the Churchtown
Chipmunks children's charity.
The 7,700 sq ft store has created 10 new jobs and features stylish and extensive
furniture ranges and home furnishings. For its official launch, staff have
invited volunteers from the charity to set up shop in the store. Harveys will
also be donating funds based on sales of selected items.
In addition, customers can enjoy an exclusive 10% off almost everything
exclusive to this store for the Grand Launch Weekend.
Store manager David MacDonald said:- "We're thrilled the Churchtown
Chipmunks will be setting up a stall for our Grand Launch Weekend. We hope
shoppers will come along to support them and the important work they do in
helping pupils at Churchtown Primary School who have a close family member with
a disability or suffered a loss of a parent or sibling. The store looks amazing
and showcases our furniture in ways that will inspire. Customers can enjoy some
great opening offers and see how our ranges can work in their homes, whatever
size rooms, with practical and illustrated suggestions. They can even design
their own sofa with our new 'Sofas by You' service." International
conference comes to Liverpool
THE Conductive Education
Professional Education Group (CEPEG) has announced that it will be
hosting its 10th annual conference at the Hilton Hotel, Liverpool on
7 March 2015. The conference, titled Raising the Bar, is being hosted by
Merseyside's conductive education centre Stick 'n' Step and is
expected to attract approximately 200 delegates from across Europe.
CEPEG is a professional group that supports the development and
practice of Conductive Education throughout the UK. Conductive
Education, which derives from the Peto Institute in Hungary, is a
non-medical based developmental aid, which promotes independence for
those with conditions like cerebral palsy, and is not routinely
offered by the NHS. Cerebral palsy is the most common form of
childhood disability, affecting every one in 400 children; 30,000
children in the UK. Despite this, there is limited support and
information available in the UK for families who are affected by
cerebral palsy. Conductive Education, however, is one of few
developmental opportunities available, but is not widely known about
within the medical profession and society as a whole. There are
around 13 Conductive Education centres in the UK, including Stick
'n' Step.
The conference is aimed at medical professionals, conductors, or
anybody that works with children with cerebral palsy. It is taking
place just weeks after a parliamentary inquiry by MP Paul Maynard
and Action Cerebral Palsy recommends that, amongst other things,
improved training for clinical and educational practitioners working
with children and young people with cerebral palsy is needed, so
that the right support can be identified and given at the right
time. It is hoped that the conference will be well attended by a
wide variety of industry professionals, as a result of the report.
Stick ‘n’ Step’s ambassador, Sky Sports commentator and parent of a
child with cerebral palsy Rob Palmer, will open the conference.
Conductive Education derives from the Pető Institute in Hungary and
therefore the UK Ambassador for Hungary, Peter Szabadhegy, has been
invited to give an address. Talks will be led by various industry
experts, as well as author and public speaker Antony Stagg. Right
Worshipful, The Lord Mayor of Liverpool, Cllr Erica Kemp CBE will
begin the afternoon’s proceedings. Breakout sessions will be
provided by staff from various UK Conductive Educations centres and
there will also be an exhibition area showcasing associated
businesses.
Commented Sarah Smithson, operations manager at Stick 'n' Step:-
"We're really excited to be hosting CEPEG's anniversary
conference this year, as this will be a great opportunity for
professionals working in this field to come together and learn and
share best-practice. I'm hoping that the publication of the recent
parliamentary report, and its findings, will encourage more medical
and educational professionals to pay attention to the benefits of
Conductive Education. The conference is not exclusive to conductors
and I'd encourage other professionals who have an interest in this
specialist field of work to come along and learn more.
We've been working closely with Liverpool Convention Bureau (part of
Marketing Liverpool) to involve local businesses, particularly
hotels and restaurants, which should help ensure the City's economy
benefits from the visiting conference too."
For more information about the CEPEG conference visit:-
sticknstep.org and view the newsblog pages, or
visit:-
cepeg.org.uk. Alternatively, contact Sarah
Smithson, operational manager at Stick 'n' Step, on:- 0151 638 0888.
Delegates are encouraged to use:- #RaisingTheBarCEPEG on Twitter.
Matthew Connah sentenced to
8 years imprisonment for manslaughter
 MERSEYSIDE
Police have confirmed that Matthew Connah, aged 38, was
sentenced to 8 years imprisonment, on Friday, 20 February 2015.
This came after
he had previously pleading guilty to the manslaughter, on 2 February 2015, of 64
year old Richard Williams, in West Derby.
Richard Williams had been found
unconscious, with serious injuries, following an assault that took place on
Thursday, 14 August 2014, by emergency services. He was taken to hospital where
he unfortunately died. A post mortem later revealed Mr Williams died as a result
of a tear to the vertebral artery causing sub-arachnoid bleeding.
Detective Inspector Graeme Robson said:- "Merseyside Police notes today's
sentencing. This was a despicable attack on a man that resulted in his death.
There is no place in our communities for people who commit such violent and
horrendous crimes. The sentencing of Connah today should bring home the enormity
of what he has done and the pain and heartache he has caused Richard's family
and friends and our thoughts are with them. I would like to thank the
investigation team and the Crown Prosecution Service for their professionalism
and commitment throughout this investigation and their hard work in bringing
this case to court." |
