Small Change – Big Difference
Teenage Cancer Trust was awarded a £1,000 grant to make a Big Difference. Jason Lewis from Lloyds TSB, and Gallery’s very own Emma Long awarded the charity the money, as they felt that the grant would have the biggest impact on the quality of the lives and living conditions of the teenagers suffering with the terminal illness, due to the fact cancer patients can’t be treated here in Jersey, they have to spend time over in Southampton and this can get lonely without their friends and family. In Southampton hospital there are age-specific units for adults and small children, but nowhere really suitable for teenagers. The money will be used to help build and create a more age-specific unit, not only helping the teenage cancer patients in Jersey, but lots of teenagers who need to use the facilities in Southampton hospital.
Get your skates on… Ice Rink back for 2010
The ice rink is back in Parade Gardens! Just like last year, there’ll be an ice skating rink open to the public in the Parade Gardens over the Christmas/New Year period – except that this time there won’t be any outside food concessions.
The rink will be open to the public from 1600 hours Friday, 10th December 2010 and close on Sunday, 9th January 2011. Opening hours will be from 10am through to 10pm daily. The rink will be closed on Christmas Day and there will be reduced opening hours on Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.
Record breaking marathon for fittest firm in Jersey
Twenty charities will share £11,289, the largest amount ever raised by RBC Wealth Management’s Jersey marathon team. The company is also claiming the title of ‘fittest firm in Jersey’ after entering over 230 people who completed the course in teams of five or as individuals running the whole course. Altogether, RBC staff ran nearly 1500 miles during the event.
The team was made up of runners from across Britain, and there were representatives from all of RBC’s UK offices: Jersey, Guernsey, London, Edinburgh and Cheltenham. Many of the runners set their own personal fundraising goals and collected money for charities of their choice.
“I set myself a target to raise £1000 for the Jersey Sports Association for the Disabled,” said Rebecca Baudains, who ultimately raised over £1,350 for her chosen charity, which was also the largest amount collected by an individual RBC team member.
As well as the marathon’s official recipients, the £11,000 will be shared among organisations ranging from those well known in Jersey such as Jersey Hospice and the JSPCA, to Cobolt, a cancer unit in Cheltenham and Poppy Scotland.
Jersey Cheshire Home to benefit from new golf day supported by Hawksford International.
Jersey Cheshire Home has scored an ‘Eagle’ with two ‘slices’ of great news (boom boom! Ed.) – the foundation committee has appointed a new member and the charity has also secured a two year sponsorship agreement with Hawksford International for its annual golf day. Peter Shirreffs, former Regional Director of RBSI and NatWest, has joined the charity’s foundation committee, becoming its twelfth member. Mr Shirreffs, who worked in the sector for more than 36 years, brings with him a wealth of financial and commercial experience which will be invaluable to the charity.
‘The Jersey Cheshire Home is a very well run residential establishment operating for the benefit of disabled people of all ages in our community. It provides a very high level of care and I could see from visiting the home that everyone associated with the charity was totally committed. After retiring early from banking I wanted to become involved in what I considered to be worthwhile causes and I could find no better way to spend some of my spare time than assisting the other board members in providing direction and advice to the Home and its operational management,’ said Mr Shirreffs. ‘On a lighter note, as I organised and hosted the RBSI/NatWest golf day for the past 18 years I am looking forward to arranging the Cheshire Home golf day in May 2011 in association with Hawksford International.’
The Jersey Cheshire Home golf day takes place every May at La Moye Golf Club. There are at least 22 team places available, although these tend to be snapped up very quickly. Should anyone be interested in entering a team they should call 285858 or email david@jerseycheshire.je.
The wildest hotel in Jersey….
Guests staying at Grand Jersey will be able to contribute to an ongoing campaign to raise money for Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust. Guests staying at the five-star Grand Jersey will now have £1 added to their final room bill which will be donated directly to local charity, Durrell. The pledge is optional but is likely to raise between £7,500-£10,000 for the good cause each year. After the first scheme they had already raised £263.
HSBC staff go mad for rubber
More than 400 staff from HSBC embarked on a month-long project to help construct a unique enclosure at Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust last month. The project required a team of twenty HSBC volunteers each weekday until the enclosure was finished. More than 2,500 man-hours were donated to the project over the course of the month. The new ‘tyre tunnel’ will be the first sustainable building of its kind in Jersey and will provide the perfect environmental conditions for the tropical Livingstone’s fruit bat. As well as being a sustainable and energy efficient enclosure, the new tunnel will also provide as near a natural habitat as possible for the bats, vastly improving their living environment.
In addition to providing volunteers to build the new bat tunnel, HSBC is also funding a new efficient and sustainable heating and lighting system that will create the right environmental conditions for the enclosure. The installation of these systems will greatly improve the building’s energy efficiency and help Durrell potentially save around £5,000 per year in energy costs.
Ernst & Young employees take a hike
Last month six employees from Ernst & Young set off on an arduous trek in the Himalayas, raising £21,000 for The Prince’s Trust in the process.
The group travelled through Nepal’s picturesque landscape for seven days of biking, hiking and white-water rafting taking them through the heart of the Himalayas.
Representing the Channel Islands and selected from hundreds who applied to take part, the Ernst & Young team consisted of Margo Bourcier, Nicola Clelland, Tim Nicolle and Greg Francis from the Guernsey office and Carrie Atkinson and Michael Thomas from the Jersey office.
James grafts in the desert for local charity
James Baker, managing director of construction and commercial recruitment agency Grafters, will be undertaking the grueling 4,491km Intercontinental Paris Dakar race to raise funds for local charity, Holidays for Heroes Jersey.
Mr Baker, who will be roaring into action on his modified Yamaha Ténéré motorbike on 31st January 2011, is aiming to raise £1 for every kilometre he races – raising £4,491 for the local good cause.
“We are delighted and honoured that James and Grafters have chosen to support our charity and we wish him well on his amazing adventure” said Dawn and Richard Woodhouse, founders of Holidays for Heroes Jersey. “We are very grateful for all of the local fundraising support we receive and if it weren’t for individuals like James we wouldn’t be able to offer the service that we do.”
The Intercontinental Rally is an internationally organised long-distance race which passes through two continents and is geared for both racers and adventurers. The route of the rally has been specifically designed to replicate that of the early days of the famous Paris – Dakar race including the infamous dune fields in Mauritania. It begins on 31st January 2011 in Almeria, Spain, finishing on 12th February in the famous rally hub of Dakar, Senegal.
James sets off on his adventure on 27th January ahead of the rally start on 31st January. If anyone wishes to make a donation via Paypal, please visit Holidays for Heroes Jersey at www.h4hjersey.org.je, alternatively donations can be sent to Grafters, 9 Great Union Road, St Helier, JE2 3YA, (cheques made payable to ‘Holidays for Heroes Jersey’) or contact James via telephone at Grafters on 01534 811114. Mr Baker would like to thank Motorama for their support in setting up his bike.
