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A Family Fun Day at the Plough pub in Sale raised £315 in aid of St Ann’s Hospice at Heald Green. Pub managers Mike and Chris Parsons organised the event, which is part of major support by Hydes Brewery in aiming to raise £18,000 for new mattresses for the Hospice.
St Ann’s Community Fundraising Officer, Louise Kelly, said: “Our thanks go out to Mike and Chris for all their hard work in holding this event, which is part of Hydes Brewery’s tremendous effort in already raising nearly £15,000 so far towards new mattresses for the Hospice.”
Two ‘mountain goat men’ from Manchester accountants KPMG are setting off for the Himalayas in a mountain challenge aimed at raising up to £20,000 in aid of St Ann’s Hospice. Kit Dickson and Justin Moody will leave in September to climb Cho Oyu, the world’s sixth highest mountain.
Climbing the mountain, just 70 miles from Everest, has been a longstanding ambition for both Kit, who was brought up in Heald Green, and Justin from Manchester. Both are tying in their efforts to raise funds towards KPMG’s staff chosen charity, Help the Hospices.
Cho Oyu, which means Turquoise Goddess, sits on the border of Nepal and Tibet, and has slopes knifing through the air to reaching 8,201 metres (27,000feet) high.
“To succeed will require immense mental and physical endurance” said Kit. “It will also take teamwork of the highest order and not a small element of bloody mindedness and luck. If successful we will take about five weeks to complete the climb due to the need for your body to acclimatise to this extreme environment.”
He added: “The risks we are facing include avalanches, extreme cold, wind, the possibility of frostbite, and only having 35 percent of the oxygen we have at sea level. With this in mind, you can really begin to picture the scale of this challenge.”
Only a small group of people have the physical capability to climb the heights of Cho Oyu, but the challenge is even greater for Kit and Justin, who are aiming to reach the summit without supplemental oxygen.
Kit and Justin have set themselves a vigorous training regime which includes triathalons, a 24 Peak challenge over 2 days in the Lake District (Late August) and ice climbing on Deansgate in Manchester!
KPMG is backing their expedition and have agreed to match donations received up to £10.000. To sponsor the charity climb please visit www.justgiving.com/kitdicksononchooyu
Media Contact: Rex Garratt, Communications Officer:
Tel: 0161 498 3628 Mobile: 07870 581093 Email: rgarratt@sah.org.uk
Staff from a Manchester food company cooked up hundreds of pounds in charity funds when they joined in both a sponsored walk and a fun run in aid of St Ann’s Hospice.
A team of six staff from The Authentic Food Company in Sharston got into training for the annual Winston Runners Ladies 5k charity run at Wythenshawe athletics track, and they also raised £800 by joining in the Manchester Midnight Walk.
One of the team, Ruth Entwistle, whose mother Dot looks after day care patients at the Hospice in Heald Green, said:” We all enjoyed joining in both the run and the walk, and funds are still coming in from sponsorship by colleagues and friends in aid of St Ann’s.”
Father of three, Mohammed Khan is no stranger to the music scene but the 37 year old writer and producer has decided to put his money where his mouth is in a bid to raise £250,000 for the New Children’s Hospital Appeal and St Ann’s Hospice.
Following on from the success of his previous albums in the 1990’s, hostel Manager, Mohammed has composed ‘Social Kaos 2008’, an album of 12 dance tracks that have never been released as part of his plan to raise funds which will be split equally between the two Manchester charities.
Mohammed intends to launch his album with a big party on Thursday 31st July at Dukes 92 in Castlefield with local celebrities in attendance including a guest DJ set from Manchester legend and XFM presenter Clint Boon. Guests will have the chance to bid on some fabulous prizes in a charity auction including a football signed by Manchester United players, a signed photo of TV’s Bionic Woman, Michelle Ryan plus 50 bottles of wine kindly donated by the event sponsor – Balti Wines.
Mohammed Khan said: “I’ve always wanted to do something to support charities and our local community that I have a close connection to and now I feel I am in a position to help them. Having had relative success with previous albums such as Freestlye and Timebomb, I decided to put my skills to use once again and create an album which doesn’t conform to one style.
The New Children’s Hospital Appeal, which launched in May 2006, aims to raise £20m to provide the new children’s hospital with state-of-the-art equipment to help our doctors provide our patients with the very best in diagnosis and care. We also want to provide parental accommodation facilities on or close to the wards so that parents can stay close to their child during treatment.
Money raised will also go towards providing free care for patients with life-threatening illnesses at St Ann’s Hospice. It costs £24,000 a day for the Hospice in caring for more than 3,000 people a year from across Greater Manchester, and the charity is dependant on donations for two thirds of its cost.
Tickets for the album launch party are priced £50 and are available by contacting Mohammed Khan on 07814 692848. Alternatively log on to at www.socialkaos.co.uk where you can also download individual tracks and the album.
For further information please contact: Rex Garratt, tel 0161 498 3628
Pupils and students from Greater Manchester came out top in a Young Citizens of the Year awards ceremony in aid of St Ann’s Hospice, at the Manchester Conference Centre aimed at recognising community minded young people.
The top title as Young Citizen of the Year went to Salford College student Jamie Bachegalup, aged 17, from Leigh, in recognition of his role in inspiring fellow students on a health and social care course to raise charity funds for St Ann’s Hospice at Heald Green in Stockport and in Little Hulton in Salford.
Jamie, who hopes to work in children’s health care, said: “It came as a total surprise to win the award, but it makes me feel very proud.”
The award for the Most Innovative Fundraising Initiative went to Cheetham Community School in Manchester for staging a series of fundraising cultural events and for entertaining patients at St Ann’s Hospice.
Two Salford schools also won top awards. St George’s Roman Catholic High School in Worsley won the Best Secondary School award in recognition of their sponsored walk in aid of St Ann’s, and for entertaining patients at the Little Hulton Hospice.
The award for Best Junior School went to Wharton Primary in Little Hulton at their first attempt in recognition of being good citizens by visiting Hospice patients and receiving praise for their good manners and positive attitude.
The Mayor of Salford, Coun. Margaret Morris and Mayoress Ann Walters, were among civic guests who congratulated the pupils on their success, along with actress Sarah Jayne Dunn from TV’s Hollyoaks, who announced the awards.
The award for Most Dedicated Group went to Outwood Primary School at Heald Green in recognition of being good citizens by entertaining patients at the Heald Green Hospice, sprucing up the gardens, and raising funds for St Ann’s with a sponsored walk and a talent show.
St Ann’s Hospice Fundraising Officer Mel Gait, who organised the awards ceremony at Manchester Conference Centre, said: “More than 300 pupils and students from schools and colleges across Greater Manchester distinguished themselves raising thousands of pounds for charity and working on behalf of their local community, and these awards recognised their efforts.”
Individual TV sets have been provided for patients at St Ann’s Hospice in Heald Green following fundraising by an inspirational patient, Gerry Smith.
Mother-of-three, Gerry Smith from Bowdon in Cheshire, had been a patient accessing inpatient care and outpatient services since August 2007 and sadly died at St Ann’s in February. During the time Gerry spent with staff, she campaigned and raised £10,000 to buy state of the art televisions.
Flat screen televisions with DVD and Freeview have recently been installed and are suspended from the ward ceiling above patients’ beds for ease of viewing with headsets.
Gerry had also championed the cause of Hospice care by appearing in a series of news programmes for BBC North West before Christmas last year.
At the same time, a set of individual TVs have also been provided at St Ann’s Hospice at Little Hulton in Salford by the Little Hulton Fundraising Group of volunteers led by local businessman Sidney Wander.
St Ann’s Director of Fundraising, Catherine Williams, said: “We would like to pay a heartfelt thank you to Gerry and her family and also the Little Hulton Fundraising Group for their dedication and support of St Ann’s Hospice.”
Community and Local Government Minister Hazel Blears will present Young Citizen of the Year awards to young people from Stockport this Friday (July 4).
One of Coronation Street’s young actresses, Helen Flannagan who plays Rosie, will also be there to cheer on young people who have excelled in raising funds for St Ann’s Hospice and working in the community. Civic leaders also supporting the awards include the Lord Mayor of Manchester, the Lord Lieutenant of Manchester, together with the Mayors of Salford, Stockport and Trafford.
St Ann’s Hospice Fundraising Officer Mel Gait said: “Pupils and students from than 20 schools and colleges across Greater Manchester have been distinguishing themselves raising thousands of pounds for charity and working on behalf of their local community, and these awards will be recognising their efforts.”
Actress Sarah Jayne Dunn from TV’s Hollyoaks will be announcing the awards.
Stockport schools competing for the awards include Cheadle Hulme School, Bramhall High School, Etchells Primary School and Outwood Primary School in Heald Green.
