A managing director from Surrey showed he is the boss in more ways than one after being named as the largest individual fundraiser for national charity Deafness Research UK. Swapping boardroom minutes for marathon miles, Ross Gardner raised over £5,000 completing this year’s London Marathon and with several thousand pounds still to collect, Ross is aiming at a record sum!

Ross’s achievement was acknowledged by Deafness Research UK at its keynote fundraiser event held at the BT Tower on 9 May, where he was presented with signed Crystal Palace FC shirt to commemorate their achievement while marking the announcement of a commercial partnership between Crystal Palace FC Foundation and Deafness Research UK for the 2012-13 football season.

Ross has a close personal interest in Deafness Research UK as his eight year old daughter Caitlin has been profoundly deaf since birth and has benefited greatly from the charity’s work. Thanks to a double cochlear implant operation, Caitlin is now able to hear for the very first time.

‘Caitlin has benefited immeasurably from hearing aids and bilateral implants, and without Deafness Research UK this may not have been possible,’ explained Ross. ‘It is truly life changing work Deafness Research UK does, and we have experienced it first hand with Caitlin. The technological developments the charity supports are fundamental to helping Caitlin and future generations; our family along with many others are extremely grateful for its work and we have the greatest of respect for the scientists and researchers aiming to develop further improvements, treatments and cures in the name of Deafness Research UK.’

Ross was aiming to raise £1,700, but has received so much support that he has exceeded his target by thousands of pounds and with funds still coming in the final figure could be double its currant total. Donations can still be made by visiting www.justgiving.com/RossGardner

‘I’m just pleased to have played my part in helping Deafness Research UK, but it was great to come along to this event and meet others who have also benefited from the charity’s work,’ added Ross. ‘Anyone who knows me will know that running is not my idea of fun, but the important work of Deafness Research UK is a huge part of my and my family’s lives and the money raised so far has made the agony and training for the London Marathon worth it!’

Ross is now considering further (non-running) challenges for Deafness Research UK. ‘I love cars, so hopefully we can come up with a new challenge that involves vintage or performance cars, rather than pounding the streets!’ concluded Ross.

‘Without the support of our fundraisers, we could not continue to fund our life changing research, and it is a pleasure to be able to thank people like Ross and our other marathon runners including Clare Duszek in person, and acknowledge their efforts,’ said Deafness Research UK Corporate Partnerships Manager Alex Hann. ‘Having a child who suffers from deafness is difficult for any family and it is important we continue in our research to help the many other families across the UK coping with similar daily challenges and improve the future for children like Caitlin. Ross and Clare’s efforts and the support of organisations like Crystal Palace FC Foundation mean we are able to do just that.’
ENDS

Media contact

Jon Gardner, Beyond PR
Tel: 0114 275 6996
Mob: 07930 697773
Email: jon.gardner@beyondpr.co.uk
www.BeyondPR.co.uk

Cecil Edey, Chief Executive at Orvia, will be putting his running shoes on later this month to take part in the Manchester 10k Run which will be held on 20 May. This is the 10^th staging of this fantastic event which welcomes elite international athletes, celebrities and members of the public to compete together and each year the event raises a huge amount of money in the process.

Cecil’s chosen charity for the event is non other than our local St Catherine’s Hospice which provides high quality specialised care for people living with medical conditions that can be treated but cannot be cured.

St Catherine’s has been a renowned centre for palliative care since 1984 and works with patients, carers and families to help people live as independently and fully as possible.

This is done by offering both specialist medical care and a range of services to address a person’s social, psychological and spiritual needs as well as those of their loved ones.  The result is the very highest standards of palliative care, tailored to the needs of each individual and delivered by experts who are dedicated to improving the quality of life for those receiving care.

Cecil said: “At Orvia we have enjoyed a long standing relationship with St Catherine’s Hospice but the main reason I have decided to run on their behalf is a personal one. My father became terminally ill and died when I was a teenager. The facilities and extensive nature of care provided by St Catherine’s wasn’t available to us as a family when my father became ill. St Catherine’s do an absolutely tremendous job caring for terminally ill people and their families which is carried out with the upmost dignity and professionalism, but they are reliant on the generosity of the public to keep their services going.

It is an honour to run on their behalf and I would encourage anybody and everybody to donate whatever they can, large or small. Every penny is welcome and will make a real difference to the lives of the families supported by St Catherine’s.”

Cecil aims to complete the run in around 40 minutes.

To donate please visit Cecil’s Just Giving page at www.justgiving.com/Cecil-Edey

ENDS

Notes to editors:

Orvia is a private not for profit enterprise agency. A member of the National Enterprise Network, a Prowess approved women’s business centre and an Investor in People. Orvia’s work is delivered in line with theISO9001: 2008 quality accreditation.

All training staff and advisers are ILM (InstituteofLeadershipand Management) and SFEDI (Small FirmsEnterpriseDevelopment Initiative) accredited, and Orvia’s mentoring and coaching programmes have achieved the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC) quality award.

Interested in a career as a charity fundraiser? As one of the most sought-after jobs in the charity sector, you could face some stiff competition. In this guide, Civil Society Jobs explains what this type of role might entail, and what is required of applicants.

Charity fundraising jobs have three main functions: as well as raising money for the organisation, they raise awareness of the cause, and build relationships with the community. A charity fundraiser is therefore the ‘public face’ of the charity, and will need to be outgoing, personable and enthusiastic. Whether you’re fundraising in the street and door-to-door, or involved in networking and public speaking, the same sociable nature and passion for the charity is essential.

Fundraising jobs in charities can also involve coming up with ideas for events, campaigns or strategies, so you’ll need to be creative and have an eye for detail. To get a job of this kind, experience is often critical, but there are plenty of voluntary opportunities where you could get involved and hone your skills first. Meanwhile, there are various fundraising qualifications available for those looking to go far in the field. Entry level charity fundraising jobs are a popular choice with school leavers and graduates, as there is such a positive and sociable atmosphere, and of course, it’s very rewarding. Alternatively, those with established careers in event planning, business development or marketing could find this is an ideal career move.

If you’re interested in working for a charity or non-profit organisation, the Civil Society Jobs website lists all the latest vacancies in the third sector. Search for the role and location of your choice, and check out the charity jobs advice section for a little extra help in getting your charity career off the ground.

Website: http://www.civilsociety.co.uk/

A recycling charity that helps some of the most vulnerable people in Fife has been given a major cash boost by the Scottish Government. Castle Furniture Project, set up 20 years ago in Cupar, has been awarded £164,273 from the Enterprise Growth Fund to help promote recycling across Fife, Perth and Kinross. The money will be used to develop the project’s household doorstep collection, repair, refurbishment and re-use of heavy domestic appliances such as cookers, washing machines and fridges as well as enable it to open a new centre in Perth.

Managing Director of ThinkMarketing, an Edinburgh-based sales and marketing company, who said, “It’s a fantastic choice to use the money. Recycling is incredibly important, especially with large household appliances like these, which take up so much space if they’re just dumped.”

Each year in Fife alone, over 9500 heavy domestic appliances are dumped, amounting to almost 440 tonnes of potential waste going to landfill. Only a fraction of broken, unwanted or abandoned cookers, fridge freezers, dishwashers, dryers and other appliances are being recycled, repaired and re-used. Last year, Castle piloted a small-scale experiment, which recycled 652 heavy domestic appliances and resold them, generating over £28,000.

Towards the end of last year, in a bid to reduce the number of appliances destined for landfill and promote increased re-use, the project launched its household doorstep domestic appliances collection service with the help of funding from the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE), which was set up by manufacturers.

“It’s important to deal with this type of waste,” said a source at ThinkMarketing, “and this project is doing it in a responsible way, creating jobs and benefiting the economy at the same time.”

Castle’s project manager Silv Ingram said: “Our experiences from last year’s pilots demonstrate a willingness among the general public to promote the recycling and re-use of unwanted appliances when doing so is made as simple as making a single telephone call. This year we aim to increase the number of broken, unwanted or abandoned appliances available for re-use to over 3000, a 400 per cent increase on last year’s pilot. This means that almost 150 tonnes of domestic appliances will no longer potentially end up in landfill.”

The funding will also enable Castle to open a 10,000 sq ft recycling and re-use centre in Perth, which will provide an additional sales outlet for unwanted furniture, refurbished domestic appliances and recycled paint as well as a ‘one stop shop’ information point to the general public on all aspects of recycling and re-use.

Our source at ThinkMarketing said, “It’s important to raise public awareness of schemes like this, because there’s still that inbuilt tradition of just taking things to the dump and forgetting about them. When recycling the items is just as easy, if not easier than that, then you get to the point where people are just doing it the old way out of habit. But we can’t keep doing that forever.”

http://www.fifetoday.co.uk/news/charity-wins-164-000-funding-boost-1-2190290

http://www.prlog.org/11831234-thinkmarketing-examines-this-years-successes-stories-and-style-at-the-oscars.html

http://www.facebook.com/pages/ThinkMarketing/277743275580208

A total of 17 people are heading to Maidstone in Kent on April 1 for a tandem skydive to raise money for Princess Alice Hospice. Among them will be 22-year-old Grace Johnson who is currently in the third year of her BA Social Work degree at Kingston University. She has been working at Princess Alice Hospice as part of her studies and will finish her placement on April 19. “I have always wanted to do a sky dive and investigate previous charity jumps, however, I never had the connection to the charity to spur me on. That all changed once I started at Princess Alice Hospice.”

Managing Director of DCM Marketing Services, a sales and marketing company which is based in Maidstone, said “A group of 17 very courageous people. I admire them for their dedication and generosity to the Princess Alice Hospice.”

Ms Johnson has entered into a variety of fundraising activities for the hospice, including a bucket collection at the Sainsbury’s store in Surbiton and selling handmade flower headbands. Already, her skydive has already raised £460 – £65 more than her target of £395. A source from DCM Marketing Services commented saying “Grace is only 1 of 17 and she alone has already raised £460, that’s incredible to say the least.”

Princess Alice Hospice provides specialist end of life and palliative care, support and advice for adult patients and their families both at the hospice and in their homes. Its catchment area includes Surrey, South West London and Middlesex, serving a population in excess of 1 million. More than £7 million is needed each year for the hospice to provide its services. “Before coming to Princess Alice Hospice I had no awareness or experience of a hospice or end of life care, I had a preconceived idea it would be scary. However, that is most definitely not the case.” said Ms Johnson.

Managing Director of DCM Marketing Services said, “This group of 17 are doing a great thing for this Charity. Raising as much money as they are it will definitely be appreciated not only by the Charity, but by the patients of those who receive care, and their families. Raising the money is of course amazing, but I hope they have a blast while sky-diving too.”

If you would like to support Ms Johnson’s skydive, visit www.justgiving.com/grace-johnson0.

http://www.elmbridgetoday.co.uk

http://www.prlog.org/11829005-dcm-marketing-keen-to-see-development-of-energy-smart-microprocessor.html

http://www.facebook.com/pages/DCM-Marketing-Services-LTD/188845891194999

A lot of job seekers believe that because they have no specific experience or qualifications in the field, they would not be eligible to apply for paid charity jobs. However, a large number of charities are in fact operating in a way that is reminiscent of large businesses, while the jobs available are just as diverse as the charities themselves.

For example, charities frequently advertise vacancies in marketing and PR, admin and secretarial roles, HR, finance, management and IT – as well as the front-line and fundraising positions you might expect. It’s therefore understandable that charity jobs are such a popular choice among experienced private sector professionals who feel it’s time to change career paths.

An increasing number of graduates and school leavers are also now seeking charity jobs. Doing work for charity allows younger workers to develop their skills, specialise in their chosen field, and appreciate the value of what charities do. Of course, it also looks great on a CV, and is a truly worthwhile use of their time, unlike many other entry level jobs.

There is such a diverse range of charity jobs available, pretty much anyone has something to offer. As long as you’re passionate and enthusiastic, work in the charity sector could be for you – but with so many job sites out there, how do you find charity jobs specifically?

The Civil Society Jobs website features a list of current vacancies in charities, non-profit organisations and trusts across the UK. Filter by location, job role or charity type to find the job that’s right for you. Furthermore, the website includes charity jobs advice, tips and guides for anyone looking for their first job in the charity sector. You could soon be on your way to a very rewarding career.

Website: http://www.civilsociety.co.uk/jobs/

The Manchester chapter of the drug education charity Narconon announced today that it will provide free training in its drug-free withdrawal method for anyone who wants to help a loved one or friend withdraw from drugs or alcohol.

Founded almost half a century ago, Narconon has since helped thousands of people world-wide to withdraw from drugs, using a safe and unique withdrawal method that does not use drugs to tackle problems with drugs.

The pain and distress associated with drug withdrawal comprise the primary barrier that deters most people from discontinuing drug use but the Narconon method offers a way for many people to get through withdrawal in relative comfort.

Not only that, Narconon has found that its method is relatively straightforward for the layman to learn and apply on a self-help basis.

With drug addiction reaching epidemic proportions, there is an increasing and urgent need for a safe and effective method of withdrawal, which people can learn and use on a self-help basis and which is within the financial reach of almost everyone. Narconon’s initiative is intended to place a solution to the problem of withdrawal in the hands of anyone who wants to help another, regardless of financial resources.
Narconon’s Ambassador, Peter Dwan said: “Given the urgency of the problem and the numbers of lives being ruined or lost, we have decided that enough is enough. Therefore we are making free training in our drug-free withdrawal method available until further notice. I am very excited about this initiative as it is the kind of uncompromising and sincere approach to addiction people need if we are ever to close this miserable chapter in our history.”

For anyone wishing to learn Narconon’s self-help withdrawal method, Narconon’s volunteers stand ready to help. For further information, call 07824 398683, email dwan0@btinternet.com or visit www.drugrehabmanchester.org

St John’s Hotel in Solihull is launching its very first family Sunday lunch menu next week with a special fundraiser for Acorns Children’s Hospice.

The four-star hotel on Warwick Road has nominated the charity, which cares for life-limited children and young people, for the forthcoming months and is kick-starting its fundraising efforts by donating £5 for every three-course lunch sold on Sunday, March 11, 2012, to the charity.

It is the first time St John’s has launched a traditional Sunday lunch menu and Tony Hill, general manager of St Johns, hopes to see as many families as possible there to help raise much-needed funds for Acorns.

Acorns does not charge families for its services but does rely on donations for the majority of the £8m plus income needed to provide care and support to more than 600 children and families every year.

Local life-limited and life-threatened children and their families are more dependent than ever on the support provided and cannot simply wait for things to improve.
Mr Hill said: “Acorns does incredible work for life-limited children and their families across the West Midlands and we are keen to do our bit to help.

“We will be organising events over the spring and summer to raise as much money as we can for the charity, but it seemed fitting that the launch of our family Sunday lunches at Tempus restaurant should be the first event to begin our fundraising.”

Diners booking a table for lunch on March 11 will enjoy a mouth-watering three-course lunch, created by head chef Luciano Catalinotto, for just £15.95 for adults and £6.95 for children up the age of 10.

Choose from traditional roast loin of pork with apple sauce and gravy; roast top side of beef with Yorkshire pudding; pan fried fillet of Pangasius with creamy chilli ginger sauce; or roasted Mediterranean vegetable parcels with tomato sauce. Roast potatoes with thyme and lemon, seasonal vegetables and cauliflower Polonaise will be the perfect accompaniments.

There will also be a selection of starters, while pudding lovers will be unable to resist the selection of luxurious home-made gateaux and tea time mini cakes.

Joanne Danaher, community fundraising officer for Acorns in Birmingham and Warwickshire, said: “We rely on the generosity of the community for the bulk of our funding, so we are very grateful to St John’s Hotel for having us as its nominated charity for the next six months.

“A family event is a wonderful way to begin the fundraising and we look forward to welcoming people to St John’s on the day.”

Acorns offers a 24-hour-a-day network of care and support at its hospices in Selly Oak, Walsall and Worcester, and through its community team, but it costs £750 to look after a child or young person with a life-threatening condition every day.

To book a traditional family Sunday lunch at Tempus restaurant, St John’s Hotel, telephone 0121 711 3000.

More than 1,000 people are expected to shake up their traditionally relaxed Sunday with a challenging charity walk around London’s iconic River Thames on 15 April 2012.

The Big Challenge, the first 10 kilometre sponsored walk of its kind in London, will raise money for water projects in some of the poorest communities in African coffee-producing countries.

The event, starting and finishing at The Scoop next to City Hall, will see participants carry up to 10 litres of water for the final 5 kilometres of the walk, representing the difficult task of fetching water undertaken daily by African women and children.

Jeffrey Young, Chairman of Allegra Foundation which is organising the event, said walkers will experience first-hand what life is like for many people in developing countries.

“Carrying up to 10 litres of water for five kilometres might be a ‘big challenge’ for us, but this type of journey is a daily ritual for one in eight people worldwide who do not have access to clean water,” Mr Young said.

“In rural Africa, women and children spend hours each day walking through rugged terrain to collect water for their families. Not only does this prevent children from attending school and adults from working, but the water brought back is often dirty, polluted and unsafe to drink.

“The Big Challenge will raise awareness and funds for what is essentially a basic human right,” Mr Young said.

Collectively, 1,000 participants will travel 10,000 kilometres, the distance from London to Tanzania where Allegra Foundation’s charitable initiative Project Waterfall is currently delivering clean water projects in partnership with WaterAid.

The Big Challenge will start at The Scoop, head west along South Bank, over Westminster Bridge, east along Victoria Embankment and over Tower Bridge, to finish back at The Scoop.

It is the official pre-launch event of UK Coffee Week™ 2012, taking place 23-29 April.

UK Coffee Week is the nation’s largest charitable celebration of coffee that unites the coffee industry while raising money for Project Waterfall.

The week includes coffee shop charitable collections and activities; a national media programme; new fundraising initiatives such as Coffee@Work, which invites workplace employees to make a donation towards hot beverages made at work during the week; and public events, including The Big Challenge and the popular London Coffee Festival, being held from 27-29 April 2012.

Register for The Big Challenge today with your colleagues or friends and family at www.ukcoffeeweek.com

~ENDS~

Notes to the editor

UK Coffee Week™
UK Coffee Week 2012, being held from 23-29 April, provides a unique opportunity for branded coffee chains, independent coffee shops and industry suppliers to collaborate and celebrate the success of the sector while giving back to an extremely worthy cause. A nationwide programme of charitable collections, in-store activities and public events will raise funds for Project Waterfall to deliver clean water projects in coffee-producing African countries. For further information, visit www.ukcoffeeweek.com, www.facebook.com/UKCoffeeWeek or follow UK Coffee Week on Twitter @UKCoffeeWeek.

Allegra Foundation and Project Waterfall
Allegra Foundation is a registered charity (No. 1133540) established by the Allegra Group to support sustainable development projects in coffee-growing countries. Project Waterfall is the central focus for fundraising and aims to deliver clean water projects in African coffee-producing countries. 100% of all funds raised from consumer donations directly benefit this cause. The first project is currently providing clean water to communities in the Mbulu District of Tanzania in partnership with WaterAid. For further information, visit www.allegrafoundation.com.

London Coffee Festival – 27-29 April, Old Truman Brewery, Brick Lane
The London Coffee Festival celebrates the city’s coffee culture, with artisanal coffee and specialist tea for sale, barista demonstrations, gourmet food stalls and live music all taking place across the four festival zones. This year The London Coffee Festival will kick off with the Espresso Martini Launch Party on 27 April at 5pm and play host to The UK Barista Championships 2012 across the three-day period. The festival is the flagship event of UK Coffee Week. 50% of ticket sale proceeds will go to Project Waterfall, the charitable initiative delivering clean water projects in Tanzania in partnership with WaterAid. For further information, visit www.londoncoffeefestival.com, www.facebook.com/TheLondonCoffeeFestival or follow The London Coffee Festival on Twitter @LdnCoffeeFest.

Allegra Strategies
London-based management consultancy Allegra Strategies publishes the most comprehensive research conducted on the European and UK branded coffee shop market: Project Café UK and Project Café Europe. With 12 years of research experience in the European branded coffee shop market, Allegra Strategies is recognised as the thought leader and the most trusted source of information in the industry. For further information, visit www.allegrastrategies.com.

WaterAid
WaterAid’s vision is of a world where everyone has access to safe water and sanitation. The international organisation works in 27 countries across Africa, Asia, Central America and the Pacific region to transform lives by improving access to safe water, hygiene and sanitation in some of the world’s poorest communities. Over the past 30 years, WaterAid has reached 15.9 million people with safe water and, since 2004, 11 million people with sanitation. For further information, visit www.wateraid.org, www.facebook.com/wateraid or follow @wateraid on Twitter.

- At least 4,000 children die every day as a result of diseases caused by unclean water and poor sanitation.
- 884 million people in the world do not have access to safe water. This is roughly one in eight of the world’s population.
- 2.6 billion people in the world do not have access to adequate sanitation, this is 39% of the world’s population.
- For every £1 invested in water and sanitation, £8 is returned in increased productivity.
- Just £15 can enable one person to access safe water, improved hygiene and sanitation.

Don’t settle for the basic and ordinary, show your support for our wounded heroes in style!

The Help for Heroes Shop sells more than wristbands; it in fact has a vast collection of products from jewellery to sweatshirts to bags. One of the shop’s original best sellers, the H4H Rugby Shirt, has recently been redesigned and is proving to be as popular as ever. Staying warm in the cooler weather doesn’t mean you have to drag out that baggy hoody or old chunky cardigan – instead, the Help for Heroes Shop has an array of fabulous rugby shirts to keep you warm and looking great.

The best part is you can shop knowing you are ‘doing your bit’ knowing every penny you spend is going to a fantastic cause.

The H4H shop has a variety of different styles of rugby shirts, from the big and bold to the subtle and simple, and each one is made from 100% Cotton. The Quarter Rugby Shirt has superseded the original striped version to become another iconic item for H4H.

Its eye-catching harlequin design with tri colour panels and soft fabric makes this the perfect item to spice up your wardrobe on those cold, dull days. For those who prefer an understated look, there is a loose fitting rugby shirt in navy and white which simply features the stretcher bearer logo on the chest.

The latest addition to the rugby range has been designed exclusively for Help for Heroes by Cotton Traders. This signature navy rugby shirt combines the famous Cotton Traders quality and style with H4H branding and tri-colour detailing, resulting in a gorgeous lightweight but warm rugby shirt suitable for everyday wear throughout the year. Just arrived and sure to add some vibrancy to the classic H4H colouring is the ladies’ hot pink rugby shirt which is a redesigned version of the fitted navy rugby shirt, featuring the stretcher bearer logo and boasting a flattering fit for women. In the coming months, further variations of the Quarter Rugby Shirt are set to hit the Help for Heroes Shop, including a children’s version and a short sleeved style. So keep your eyes on the online shop for all the fantastic new arrivals.

Emma Parry, the Charity’s co-founder and Executive Chairman, highlighted the importance of the shop to the charity: “Help for Heroes offers practical, direct support for our current wounded. Money raised from the sale of products helps to offset the running costs of the Charity. Shop with us and your money really does make a difference.” Visit the Help for Heroes Shop to view their rugby shirts and browse the extensive range of other products.

http://www.shop.helpforheroes.org.uk/