Tree of Light 2015 Cheque Presentations

The funds raised by the Tree of Light 2015 have now been distributed.  Here's how we spent it!

13.05.16 Midlands Air Ambulance £600

The Rotary Club of Oswestry presented the final cheque to this year's beneficiaries on a visit to RAF Cosford recently when they handed over a cheque for £600 to the Midlands Air Ambulance (MAA) Charity from their Christmas 2015 Tree of Light campaign.

Costs in excess of £7 million each year to keep its three air ambulances operational are met entirely by donations from the public and local businesses as the MAA Charity receives no government funding.

MAA Regional Fundraising Manager Adam Williams said, “The charity is fortunate to be able to count on tremendous public support and goodwill but never takes the great level of support from the local communities we serve for granted. We are extremely grateful to everyone who sponsored the Tree of Light again this year - their support will help keep our service operational in the local community.”  

With only a brief moment to take a photograph, the helicopter in the background received a call out and started its engines to prepare for the next one of the Charity's 2,000 missions it flies in a year.

"You can really appreciate the benefit of this service." said Tree of Light organiser Mike Jones, "If a patient reaches hospital within the Golden Hour (60 minutes after their injury) their chances of survival are dramatically increased. That is why the rapid response of the Midlands Air Ambulance is so vital in an emergency situation. They really are 'Saving Lives by Saving Time.'"

Mike Perry, Community Fundraising Advisor at Severn Hospice, received the donation as recognition and support for the invaluable work the hospice does for people with life-limiting illnesses and their families. "Of the £9.6m it cost last year to run Severn Hospice, our supporters helped raise £6.99m." he said, “It is only thanks to the generosity of others, such as donors to the Tree of Light, that we are able to care for the growing number of people from across Shropshire and Mid Wales at their time of greatest need.”

08.04.16 Lingen Davies Centre - Linear Accelerator Appeal £600

The Lingen Davies Cancer Fund resources equipment and buildings to improve facilities for cancer patients at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and has pledged to raise £750,000 by the end of 2016 to help fund an additional world class Linear Accelerator for the Cancer and Haematology Centre there.

Receiving their cheque, Liz Kyle, Acting Fundraising Manager at the Lingen Davies Cancer Fund, said “We are delighted to have reached the £500,000 milestone on 8th March. Many thanks to everyone who donated to the Tree of Light last Christmas - every donation is valued and will help us to reach our £750,000 target by the end of this year.”

04.04.16 Oswestry & District Stroke Club £250

Donations received by Oswestry Rotary Club's Tree of Light last Christmas continue to help local charities.

This week, Mike Garratt, Chairman of Oswestry & District Stroke Club was presented with a cheque from the appeal to help with this year's running costs.

For over 35 years Oswestry & District Stroke Club, a self help and social club for people who have suffered a stroke and for their carers, have been there for people in the Oswestry area.  

Providing information about stroke and local services that might help plus support through a range of social activities, the Club helps members regain their confidence after a stroke.  Offering a warm welcome and a friendly face, the Club offers the opportunity to talk to someone who understands because they have been through it too.

In the summer time group outings are arranged in place of some meetings; last year the Club visited Southport.  Other social events and fundraisers are held throughout the year. Transport can be arranged for wheelchair users and those with walking difficulties.

Each year, the Club have been pleased to support Oswestry Rotary Club's Health Awareness Day and will be present again this year, in the Library on Saturday 23rd April, offering advice and information as well as free refreshments!

Oswestry & District Stroke Club meet on the 2nd Thursday of every month at Oswestry Senior Citizens Club on Lorne Street, Oswestry, Shropshire, SY11 1ND from 2.00-4.00pm.

If you, a friend or family member want to find out more about Oswestry & District Stroke Club please check out their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/oswestrystrokeclub/ or contact Mike Garratt
garratt36@talktalk.net or 01691 238768.

14.03.16 Marches Riding for the Disabled Association £300

The Marches Riding for the Disabled Association group meets on a Thursday morning from 10.30am at Penycoed Stables, Pant. The group currently provides riding lessons for 5 riders with disabilities, with 2 more (hopefully) starting soon, giving them the opportunity to take part in events such as the annual Shropshire fun day and RDA competitions as they become better riders. This year they are also planning a musical ride.

"Horse hire is by far our biggest expense, but there are also insurance and equipment costs" explained volunteer Dorothy Thomas, former Secretary of the group. "Although the riders make a part contribution to help with the hire of the horses, we rely on donations from organisations such as Rotary, other individual donations and we also do some fund raising" she continued.

The group is always happy to meet potential volunteers who may,although they do not ride, work as side walkers concentrating solely on the rider or as leaders whose main responsibility is to look after the horse.

"We could always do with more people who have horse experience as we are sometimes short of leaders", adds Dorothy, "Some training is given for their roles and they will also need to undergo a D & B check (also known as a police check) as they will be working with vulnerable adults".

Thanking the donors to the Tree of Light Appeal, Dorothy concluded "We are very grateful to the Rotary Club for this donation and are grateful once again to be included in the Tree of Light Appeal".

Marches RDA, is part of the national Riding for the Disabled Association and is one of 8 groups in Shropshire (http://www.rdawestmercia.co.uk/shropshire.php). For any enquiries about riding or volunteering please contact Natalie Sheehy the Marches' Group Chairperson on 07487711340.

14.03.16 Hope House Hospice £650

In a second presentation, Hope House patient Via Turner received a cheque from the Rotary Club of  Oswestry's Tree of Light Appeal on behalf of Morda's renowned Hope House Hospice from Appeal organiser Mike Jones.

Watching on, one of Hope House's Area Fundraisers Lynsey Kilvert explained, "Public support is vital so that we can provide the care and support that our children, young people and families so desperately need. We must raise over £4 million every year to maintain our services and receive just one month's funding from statutory bodies." Lynsey added "On behalf of Hope House, I am really grateful for the fantastic amount the Tree of Light raises for us each year."

The Rotary Club of Oswestry, including the Tree of Light Appeal, has raised nearly £13,500 for Hope House over recent years.

11.03.16 Transhouse Trust £500

Christmas 2015 saw the power of Social Media in action in Oswestry.

After the success of his 'Bring Back Waving Santa' Facebook appeal, Oswestry's Lee Barnfield asked the 1,400 members of his Facebook group to give something back to the local community by donating in support of the Rotary Club of Oswestry's Tree of Light Appeal.  Setting up an online giving site, Lee was delighted to see £200 raised for the Christmas appeal which benefits local causes.

One such beneficiary is the Transhouse Trust, an Oswestry organisation that helps patients who have suffered life-changing spinal injuries by providing short-term accommodation and support to enable them to leave hospital whilst providing assistance as they prepare for their maximum level of independent living and quality of life.  In addition to this valuable service to their tenants, Transhouse helps to reduce the delays that patients face in being discharged from hospital which reduces the financial and social cost to the NHS and its patients.

As an autonomous indepenedent charity, the majority of Transhouse's funding is provided by the housing benefits received by their tenants but there is an increasing dependence on donations such as that awarded by Rotary's Tree of Light Appeal this year.  

Lee joined members of Oswestry Rotary Club recently on their visit to one of the Transhouse homes to meet Professor Wagih El Masri, founder and Chairman of the Trust, and Margaret Kynaston, a Director of the Trust, and present them with their award from the Tree of Light.

Appeal Organiser Mike Jones said he was "delighted to meet up with Lee after the amazing result of his  Waving Santa appeal and decision to support our Tree of Light Appeal for local charities".  "We are grateful for the contribution of the Waving Santa Appeal," he continued, "the generosity of the people of Oswestry to local organisations is remarkable."

Photos: Ian Haigh

07.03.16 The Cricket Federation for People with Disabilities and North Shropshire Special Olympics
£650

Members of Oswestry Rotary Club were delighted to be invited to one of the weekly training sessions of the North Shropshire Special Olympics group recently to present a cheque from the Club's 2015 Tree of Light campaign.

The North Shropshire Special Olympics group offers sporting activities for children and adults with physical and learning disabilities.  Sports include athletics, swimming, basketball, table tennis, badminton and boccia.  Weekly training takes place at Oswestry Leisure Centre, Moreton Hall School and The Venue.  The group is a member of the Special Olympics international organisation and offers regular opportunities for competition both within the Midlands region and nationally.

With members of the group looking on at Oswestry Leisure Centre, Chairman Brian Johnson accepted the cheque and thanked the Tree of Light donors for their continued support.  "We will make good use of this donation.  Looking to the future, funds must be raised to send athletes to the Special Olympics GB Summer Games 2017 in Sheffield" added coach Graham Poole.

The UK’s biggest disability sports event in 2017, the Sheffield Games will be the showpiece domestic event for the Special Olympics organisation and its athletes.  This Oswestry based group will hope to be able to send over 20 athletes to Sheffield having, in the past, sent competitors overseas to the Special Olympics World Games. 

Tree of Light organiser Mike Jones said "We are delighted to be able to support the tremendous work of all the volunteers, coaches and members of the North Shropshire Special Olympics group through the donations made to our Christmas campaign.  Long may they continue!".

22.02.2016 St John Ambulance, Oswestry Unit £150

"FIRST AID gives young people something amazing – the confidence to do the right thing when it really counts."

The Rotary Club of Oswestry Tree of Light appeal has awarded the Oswestry Unit of St John Ambulance £150 for First Aid in Education to enable it to take First Aid training into schools and help provide teaching at events like the Oswestry Rotary Club's LifeLine Event at Park Hall.

Each September around 450 Year 4 primary school pupils receive, amongst other things, a short first aid lesson from a St John trainer as they prepare to move on to secondary education.

Basic first aid skills can be learned in this short time which could stay with pupils for a lifetime and alert them to the importance of learning more about first aid in the years ahead. Only a few years ago a local child who had attended a LifeLine event was able to respond in the correct way when her mother was injured in a riding accident; confidence she had learned from a First Aid Trainer.

22.02.2016 Alzheimer's Society Dementia Cafe Oswestry £150

With money raised by donations to their Tree of Light 2015 campaign, Oswestry Rotary Club has been able to fulfill the modest request of The Alzheimer’s Society Oswestry Dementia Café for some new musical instruments for their service users.

At their monthly meeting, the Dementia Café take over the whole café area at The Whole Life Centre, Cabin Lane for activities, talks, coffee and cake.  Their service users include people with dementia and their family, friends and carers who meet together in this informal, safe and welcoming atmosphere where there is time to chat, get to know others, find out useful information and have some fun.

There are always large picture books to share, games, puzzles, word searches and quizzes on offer and, over the next few months, sessions will involve laughter yoga, reminiscence, line dancing and crafts.  

Information about dementia is always available.

Apart from the cakes, of course, the favourite part of their meeting, due to popular demand, has become their singing sessions accompanied by volunteer Jon on his guitar which are now a regular feature.  Music and singing can be very beneficial for people with dementia.

Through the generosity of the Tree of Light donors the group now has triangles, tambourines and lots of other hand held percussion instruments for everyone to use regardless of their musical abilities.

Dementia Café is held on the last Tuesday of the month from 10.30am to 12.30pm at the Whole Life Christian Centre in Cabin Lane, Oswestry.

If you would like to know more about Dementia Café please contact Alison Humphreys, Dementia Support Worker - North Shropshire, Alzheimer's Society, Shrewsbury 01743 341800