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NFU coffee morning raises £500!

Furness Ladies National Farmers Union vice chairperson, Maureen Boyren presented a cheque for £500.00 to Kathy Graves, Quality Manager from St Mary’s Hospice on Tuesday 29th November. The amount being the proceeds from a coffee morning held on 27th October in the Coronation Hall, Ulverston. The group would like to thank everyone who supported the event, in any way, making it such a great success.

Mrs Boyren said “It is a pleasure to be able to support the excellent work done by the Hospice and thanks go to the staff and volunteers for the dedication they show in caring for people in the local community, not only the patients, but their extended family. The care given is second to none and reaches people in their homes as well as in the Hospice itself.”

'Life in Barrow' DVD sales boost Hospice funds

Ray Cassley, Hospice Fundraiser was delighted to be presented with a donation of £250 from Joe Wardman. Joe had made a DVD about life in Barrow with the help of Signal films and all the proceeds from the sale of his DVD were donated to St Mary’s.

Everyone at St Mary’s would like to thank Joe for raising funds for our charity. It is greatly appreciated

45th Keswick to Barrow brings in another amazing donation

The Keswick to Barrow Walk is a 40 mile sponsored stroll through some of the country’s finest landscapes. The route starts on the southern side of the Lake district town of Keswick and winds its way through some of the most beautiful scenery to Barrow in Furness.

The idea of walking from Keswick to Barrow originated in 1966 as a result of a statement made by the late US President, John F Kennedy to the effect that 'every American should be capable of walking 50 miles a day'. At this time the first Polaris Submarine - HMS Resolution was being built at the shipyard in Barrow and several American experts were resident in the area assisting with the project.

With the idea now conceived, plans were soon under way to organise a walk and build relationships with the crew of the submarine and the workers at the then ‘Vickers’ shipyard. The initiative was taken by the Installation Manager (Submarines) to formally challenge the Commanding Officer of HMS Resolution to form a team and walk from Keswick to Barrow (approx 50 miles) on 1st April 1967.

The Commercial Department of Vickers heard of this challenge and joined in the walk making it a three cornered contest with the crew from HMS Resolution. The Crew of HMS Resolution finally won the contest in face of severe competition. The distance of the walk was later reduced by moving the start out of Keswick to prevent any problems which might arise through congestion on the difficult entry to the town. The more convenient start point of Rough How Bridge was established with a final measured distance of approximately 40 miles.

This year the walk took place for the 45th time and over £235000 was raised from the event, which took place in May. On Tuesday 29th November all funds were given away to hundreds of charities at a presentation evening, which took place at the Forum 28 in Barrow. Since the walk started over 2 million pounds has been raised. This year St Mary’s was awarded £13190 with the option of claiming an additional £2000 in Gift aid. The Hospice cannot thank the organiser’s and walkers enough for this wonderful contribution.

Freemasons support for Hospices

St Mary’s Hospice, Funding & Operations Manager, Zoe Guest receives a cheque for £2278.00 from the West Lancashire, Furness and South Lakeland group of Lodges and Chapters of the Freemasons. The grant is part of the Freemasons Grand Charity’s extensive support of Hospices in England and Wales. The donation was awarded to St Mary’s in support of their application made in August 2011.

Pictured: Tony Harrison, assistant provincial grand master, Zoe Gest and Rowley Saunders, the Furness Group Chairman.

The No.1 Jon Bon Jovi Tribute Act is coming to Dalton!

St Mary’s Hospice is proud to announce that the NO.1 Jon Bon Jovi Tribute Act - David Burrows will be performing at Dalton Cricket Club, Ulverston Road on Friday 9th December to raise funds for the charity.

David Burrows is a superb Jon Bon Jovi impersonator. He won Granada Television's 'Stars in Their Eyes' in 1997 and he has the looks & voice of the star. David is described as the UK's number one Bon Jovi tribute act!

St Mary’s Hospice hopes to bring the sounds of the outstanding rock band to Dalton. Tickets are selling fast, but there are still a few available at a charge of £10 to include a Hot Pot supper provided by Kitchen Wizard.

The event starts at 7.30pm, and will commence with a disco from DJ Billy

For further information call 01229 580305. Tickets can be purchased from St Mary’s Hospice or from the St Mary’s Charity Shops in Dalton or Barrow.

Ulverston Dickensian Festival

Blustery winds and pouring rain failed to dampen the spirits of the die-hard Dickensian Festival fans.

The thirteenth Dickensian Christmas Festival, took place in Ulverston on the 26th & 27th December. The festival is one of the most popular Dickensian Festival events in the country.

This year again thousands of people came along to wander around and savour the wonderful atmosphere of a traditional market town in the Dickensian era.

St Mary’s once again took part in the Christmas market and we are delighted to announce that we raised £1335.54 for the charity.

A huge thank you goes to all the volunteers who helped us during the weekend and braved the cold weather. We really appreciate your support.

Morrisons customers support St Mary’s Hospice

Morrisons stores raised more than £1.3 million for hospices across the UK during 2010when the supermarket’s national Charity of the Year was Help the Hospices, the leading charity supporting hospice care in the UK.

The Morrisons store in Barrow in Furness was twinned with St Mary’s hospice in Ulverston for 10 months, raising more than £6350.53 from collections, and events.

We were delighted when the team from the Barrow in Furness Morrisons store once again invited the fundraising team from St Mary’s to fundraise in their store from 21st – 27th November 2011.

Thanks to the amazing generosity of all customers and staff, We are very pleased to announce that we raised £1222.20 from our Christmas tombola and donations and sold £370 worth of Superdraw tickets. This is a fantastic achievement in the present economic climate and we are very grateful to everyone who supported us.

All money raised by the store through fundraising will directly fund hospice services for people with life-limiting and terminal illnesses from South Cumbria.

Santas Dash to raise cash for hospice!

St Mary’s Hospice second Santa Dash proved a hit on Saturday 26th November, as a flurry of red coats and white beards jogged through Ulverston. Local passers-by got quite a shock as a flurry of Santas, of all ages, braved the cold to raise money for the charity.

Setting off from Victoria High School at 1.30pm, men, women and children all got in the festive spirit as they headed down Springfield Road, joined by local MP, John Woodcock.

Everyone who entered the 1 mile run/walk got a free Santa Claus costume to keep and a certificate for completing the dash.

Graham Jones, 53, from Dalton, completed the dash with son Rob, 23 for a second year running, in memory of his sister-in-law, who died a couple of years ago. Graham and Rob finished in joint first place closely followed by John Woodcock in third. Graham said: “The dash was very enjoyable. It is certainly a different experience running in a Santa costume.”

Zoe Guest, fundraising and operations manager for St Mary’s Hospice, said: “It has been better than we thought it would be as the weather conditions were awful. Everyone seems to have had a really good time despite being very wet. We’ve had 34 entries this year and we would like to thank everyone who took part in the event and also volunteered to support us.”

Millom Fashion Show raises £923!

We were delighted that 100 people came to the Tin Chapel in Millom on Friday 25th November for our fashion show arranged by the volunteers from our Millom shop.

A host of volunteer models showcased examples of clothing available from the hospice shops, which were all available to purchase after the event. All the models strutted their stuff to help raise funds for St Mary’s.

Zoe Guest, fund-raising and operations manager said “£923.20 was raised for the hospice.”

“It was a wonderful evening and it was nice to see the event being so well supported by local people. We were trying to encourage people to shop at our charity shops and demonstrate how good recycled clothes can be. We wanted to show that you can pick up excellent bargains at the St Mary’s shops and we wanted to get away from the negative image that second hand clothes have.”

The volunteer team has worked so hard over the last few weeks to make the event special and we were over-whelmed with the amazing response on the night. We would once again like to say a big thank you to everyone who helped make the evening a success.

Sonja Foster raises £1432.21 at The 2011 Lakeland Trials

We would like to thank Sonja Foster for taking part in The Lakeland Trials Marathon Race in 2011. Through sponsorship Sonja raised an amazing £1432.21 for St Mary's Hospice.

Sonja would like to thank all of her neighbours, friends and everyone at The Park Leisure Centre in Barrow-in-Furness for kindly sponsoring her.

Pictured: Lorraine Irving, Fundraising Leader presenting Sonja Foster with her fundraising certificate.

TALENTED PERFORMERS CAN WIN CASH FOR CHARITIES

Charity supporters across the North West have the opportunity to step into the talent spotlight and win a share of more than £3000 for their chosen good cause in the Charity Challenge 2012 organised by Furness Building Society.

The competition invites performers and charity supporters to show their talent in a 60 second video clip. Full details of the competition and how to enter are on the Society website at www.furnessbs.co.uk/charitychallenge

A selection of videos will appear on the website and on the websites of media partners North West Evening Mail, Lancashire Evening Post and Bolton News. They will be assessed by a panel of judges to select 12 acts to perform live in the final at the Lancaster Grand Theatre on Saturday January 21 2012. Finalists will compete for prizes of £1,000 for first place, £750 for second place, and £500 for third place, with £100 for each of the other finalists so that all of the charities represented on stage will benefit.

The competition is open to individuals and groups and the talent can be anything from singing, dancing or playing an instrument to magic, comedy or juggling! But it has to be entertaining and fun.

All prize money will go to the worthy causes represented in the final, and the performers sending in videos have the fun of seeing themselves online, drawing attention to the work of their charity and perhaps representing it on stage in the final.

The simplest way to record a Charity Challenge video is on a mobile phone. Videos should be no more than 60 seconds long and can also be submitted in MP4 format.

Entrants simply complete the application form with name, age, contact number and details of the charity they are representing, and send in the video via the entry section on www.furnessbs.co.uk/charitychallenge.

Closing date for entries is Tuesday December 6th

Furness Building Society Chief Executive Rob Cairns explains: “The Charity Challenge got off to a fantastic start last year and we are delighted to be able to run the competition again this year. We want it to be an annual event.”

“The aim is to help make everyone more aware of the need to support charities in the current tough economic climate, but we also hope that people will enjoy taking part and have fun doing something for their chosen charity. Our affinity accounts work on the simple basis of ‘You Save, We Give’ and we are looking forward to handing over the cash to the winners at the Grand Final.”

Further details of the Charity Challenge can be found on the Society’s website www.furnessbs.co.uk/charitychallenge together with the rules of the competition and a full list of branches and agencies. There’s also information on how affinity accounts earn cash for charities.

Keswick to Barrow 2012

Heavy showers and sunny spells were the order of the day for the 45th Annual Keswick to Barrow Walk, but the forecast did not discourage some 2300 hardy walkers and runners that descended on Rough How Bridge to set a new record entry for the event (was 2295 in 2009). Once again there were participants from right across the UK including 20 Ministry of Defence teams, 20 BAE Systems Teams and over 50 non-Cumbrian teams. There were also 30 junior teams mainly from local schools that made up around 200 of the total competitors.

In 2010, £234,576 was raised from the event, and since the walk started nearly 2 million pounds has been raised. St Mary’s was awarded £14449 a record individual donation to a single charity in 2010 and has been invited to the awards ceremony once again in 2011.

The 46th Keswick to Barrow walk has been confirmed as taking place on Saturday May 12th with registration for team’s taking place online from 16th January.

St Mary's would like to put in a team for 2012. Would you be interested in taking part? If so please email the St Mary's Fundraising Team before the 31st December 2011:events@stmaryshospice.org.uk

A successful evening with Henry Olonga

We are delighted to announce that 40 people attended our evening with Henry Olonga on Friday 28th October 2011, at Ulverston Golf Club, Priory Road, Ulverston.
Guest Speaker for the evening former Zimbabwean test cricketer, Henry Olonga delighted the audience with his life story so far and his amazing singing voice.

Henry made his international debut in 1995, becoming the youngest player to represent Zimbabwe. He helped Zimbabwe to its first ever Test victory in that game. A right arm fast bowler, Olonga was the first black cricketer to play for Zimbabwe. Olonga achieved international recognition (along with team mate Andy Flower) in 2003 by wearing a black armband in a Cricket World Cup match to protest against the policies of Zimbabwe's government, led by Robert Mugabe. This act led to a warrant issued in Zimbabwe for Olonga's arrest on charges of treason (which carries the death penalty in Zimbabwe) and forced him to retire from international cricket and temporarily go into hiding.

Henry delighted the audience with songs such as bring him home and you raise me up in between answering their questions and telling the audience about his life so far.

The event raised £910 for St Mary’s and a huge thank you goes to Henry for giving up his time to do this event for our charity and to Frank Edwards from Elliot & Edwards for providing sponsorship.

Coffee with a Difference in Millom

The staff of St Mary’s Hospice, would like to thank the volunteer team from Millom shop so much for organizing and running a coffee with a difference afternoon on Friday 28th October at the Tin Chapel. We are delighted to announce that the team raised £496 from the event in 2 hours, which is a wonderful achievement.

The afternoon was a great success with everyone coming along from the Millom community to offer their support and we really appreciate all their help.

Voices for Hospices 2011!

Our Voices for Hospice event, sponsored by the Best of Barrow and Furness, raised the roof of the Lisdoonie Hotel in Abbey Road, Barrow on Thursday 27th October.

The event, first held in 2009, paired well-known people from the community with local entertainers to produce a musical extravaganza to raise money for St Mary’s.

Over 180 people packed into the hotel’s ballroom to watch a show, which raised £1,367for St Mary's.

The event was kicked off by compere Pete Murphy, who introduced the first pair – Barrow town centre and festivals manager Ann Taylforth and her pro partner, Danielle McCauley.

Watched by the judging panel of Billy Caldwell, Derek Brook and Helen Penny (who gave interesting commentary throughout the night) the crowd were treated to a bouncy rendition of "Build Me Up Buttercup".

Barrow AFC commercial manager Martin Lewis joined Dan Clark from Codejak, whilst the Hospice’s own Sue McGraw and Melissa Thompson sported matching outfits for the Steps song “One for Sorrow.”

The Evening Mail’s Rob Johnson took the role of the Edge, with flamboyant entertainer Pete Thompson playing Bono for a rendition of U2’s “With or Without You.” And the pint-sized news editor blew the crowd away with a powerful performance.

Dalton’s the Reverend Alan Mitchell joined veteran entertainer Dennis Hume on stage, and Barrow AFC legend Neil ‘the Doc’ Doherty and Beth Wilkes set their stall out as early favourites with a great version of “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me.”

After a short break when a stampede was avoided at the buffet, the music resumed as the pairs performed their second number of the evening.

CodeJak singer Dan Clarke looked more at ease singing Foo Fighters hit “The Pretender” with partner Martin Lewis donning a blonde wig! Sue McGraw and Melissa Thompson again went for a matching theme, with some sparkly headgear, as they belted out "Edge of Glory". And the crowd got more than they bargained for as Pete Thompson stripped to his boxers and gyrated alongside Rob Johnson during "Disco 2000". And they were also treated to a raunchy performance of “Cry Me a River” by Poole Townsend’s Martin Oates and Lisa Hart. The Bay’s Rochelle Berry joined local singer Lindsey for a stirring rendition of Adele’s “Set Fire to the Rain.” Janet Helm from Cumbria Fire and Rescue and Sarah Talbot ended the performance to rapturous applause from the increasingly enthusiastic audience.

However, it was the former AFC winger Doherty and vocalist Beth Wilkes who got the audience vote and snatched the trophy by one point.

An Evening with Henry Olonga

We are delighted to announce that we will be hosting an evening with Henry Olonga on Friday 28th October 2011, at Ulverston Golf Club, Priory Road, Ulverston.

Guest Speaker for the evening will be former Zimbabwean test cricketer, Henry Olonga. Henry made his international debut in 1995, becoming the youngest player to represent Zimbabwe. He helped Zimbabwe to its first ever Test victory in that game.

A right arm fast bowler, Olonga was the first black cricketer to play for Zimbabwe. Olonga achieved international recognition (along with team mate Andy Flower) in 2003 by wearing a black armband in a Cricket World Cup match to protest against the policies of Zimbabwe's government, led by Robert Mugabe. This act led to a warrant issued in Zimbabwe for Olonga's arrest on charges of treason (which carries the death penalty in Zimbabwe) and forced him to retire from international cricket and temporarily go into hiding.

Henry also has a superb voice and is an emerging tenor, recently releasing a CD entitled “Aurelia”. He has a foundation that lies in being afforded leading roles in productions such as the Gondoliers, Annie Get Your Gun, and Joseph and his Technicolor Dream-coat and in addition, to speaking about his time in test cricket, Olonga will also be singing for the audience on the 28th October.

Tickets for the event are available now and are priced at £10. The evening will commence at 7.30pm.

Henry will be bringing along signed copies of his book and CD to purchase.

For further information please contact St Mary’s Fundraising Team on 01229 580305 or email events@stmaryshospice.org.uk

A magical £329.60 is raised for St Mary's

A fabulous evening has had by all who attended the North West Society of Magicians annual stage competition at the Lisdoonie Hotel, Barrow on Wednesday 19th October. An audience of over 100 people were treated to some amazing tricks and illusions from the 8 performers who each performed for 10 minutes.

This year the event was held to raise funds for St Mary’s Hospice and we are delighted to announce the evening raised £329.60, which is an absolutely amazing achievement.

St Mary’s staff were delighted to attend the event and present the prizes to all the winners. This year the main award went to Terry and Michelle with Dave Simpson a close second. The comedy cup went to Richie Cottam.

Our thanks go to the Lisdoonie, and all the performers, and all who attended and made it a lovely event.

Ulverston Auction Mart raise £1457!

Zoe Guest and Lorraine Irving were delighted to be presented with a cheque for £1457.49 at Ulverston Auction Mart by Ian Walker on Tuesday 18th October. The funds had been raised for St Mary’s at the weekly car boot sales held at the auction mart arranged by the farmers and auction mart staff.

All the staff at St Mary’s really appreciate all the support shown to the charity by the auction mart and car booters who have raised funds for St Mary’s for many years. It is a fantastic achievement to raise such a large sum of money and we are really grateful for all the support.

Imperial School of Dance raise £600 for St Mary's

Zoe Guest, St Mary's Funding & Operations Manager was delighted to be presented with a cheque for £600 on Saturday 15th October by children from the Imperial School of Dance. The donation was raised at their annual show “Dance Krazy” performed by the pupils in December 2010. The show marked the 25th anniversary year for the dance school.

All the staff at St Mary’s really appreciate all the support shown to the charity by the dance school who have raised funds for St Mary’s for many years. It is a fantastic achievement to raise such a large sum of money and we are really grateful.

Netball enthusiasts honour memory of teacher

Netball enthusiasts from across the North braved wet weather to take part in a tournament to honour the memory of a popular teacher and coach.

Hundreds of people turned out to the Gillian Blain Netball Tournament on Saturday 9th September, held at the Dash sports centre at Dowdales in Dalton, where she taught PE until her death from cancer in April 2010 aged 48.

The annual event, now in its second year, is organised by Lindal Netball Club, where mother-of-two Mrs Blain was a coach.

This year the event raised money for Furness General Hospital – as she received treatment at the oncology unit – and St Mary’s.

A downpour failed to dampen the spirits of the 24 teams, some of whom came from as far afield as Newcastle, Manchester and Preston, to battle it out in 81 games of netball to claim the trophy.

Lindal Netball member Rebecca Griffin rallied support from colleagues at HSBC bank in Barrow, who helped out on the day. The branch agreed to double the amount raised on the day, bringing the grand total to £8,000 and St Mary’s were delighted to receive a donation of £4000 on the 13th October.

Stephanie Blain, Mrs Blain’s daughter, said: “We would like to thank Dowdales for the use of the courts, Lakeside Hotel for donating the main prize, HSBC Barrow and everyone involved. It was a great day.”

St Mary’s would like to thank the team for organising such a successful event and for raising lots of money for the hospice. It is greatly appreciated.

Voce Sing for St Mary’s

Leven Valley Support Group were delighted to host a concert by VOCE to raise funds for St Mary’s on Friday the 7th October at the Cafe Ambio, Backbarrow.

A packed audience were entertained for two and a half hours by the group - Phil McIntosh, Iain Nicholson, Mark Johnston and Chris Warby.

VOCE is an Italian word, meaning simply voice and it is easy to understand why they chose this name for their four-piece group.

Together they sang pop/classical songs, similar in style to Il Divo and Blake and captured the audience with their beautiful sound.

It is hoped that the event will have raised over £600 for St Mary’s. A big thank you goes to VOCE for once again supporting St Mary’s.

Fire-walk raises £2300 for St Mary’s

The Rotary Club of Furness Peninsula held a charity fire-walk at Chetwynde School on Friday 30th September. The event gave Rotarians and members of the public the opportunity for a real “out of comfort zone” experience whilst raising funds for charities.

The challenge was taken up by 10 people and together they have raised over £4000 for local charities!

We are delighted to announce that £2300 of this money was raised for St Mary’s and we would like to thank those brave participants for all their support.

Rotary would also like to thank Tony Burgess and Julie French of the Academy of High Achievers for giving their time free to conduct the fire-walk and Chetwynde School for allowing the event to take place on their premises.

Recycle your workplace ink cartridges and help raise funds for St Mary’s

Last month Wise Fundraising Ltd was delighted to present St Mary’s Hospice with a cheque for £152. The money was raised by Fingerprints, a printing company in Barrow-in-Furness, who have been recycling their used printer cartridges to raise funds for the charity.

St Mary’s and Wise Fundraising Ltd have been working together to generate funds to support local people in South Cumbria who need the help of the Hospice. A forerunner in corporate fundraising for charities, Wise Fundraising Ltd supply and recycle ink jet cartridges and toners and kindly provide St Mary’s with a donation from each new sale and from the value of returned empty cartridges and toners.

We hope that the funds we receive from Wise Fundraising Ltd could be greatly increased if more local businesses donate their empty inkjet cartridges and laser toners.

20% of the value of the cartridges will be donated to St Mary’s. All cartridge and toner types are accepted. Wise Recycling can collect large toners directly from your workplace free of charge and can provide you with the weight for recycling stats. Prepaid bags and collecting boxes can also be provided for smaller inkjet cartridges. As the postage is inclusive, returning your used items costs only a little time and, as many are suitable for re-filling or re-manufacture, you will be helping the environment.

You can also help to raise further funds for St Mary’s by ordering your cartridges and toners with Wise Fundraising Ltd online. Simply visit www.stmaryshospice.is-recycling.co.uk

Princes are very competitive on a large range and include VAT and postage. 10% of the value of orders will be donated to St Mary’s.

As ink cartridges and toners are a commodity which most of us use in conjunction with our computers, this method of raising funds for St Mary's is simple yet effective. We hope that you will use this innovative opportunity to help raise much needed funds for us and help the environment. If you would like further information about recycling in your workplace please contact Hannah on 01229 580305.

Spread the word about CommunityForce!

NatWest CommunityForce is a new initiative, which sees the Bank working with local communities to support the people, projects and charities making a real difference in local communities.

As part of their customer charter, they have made a commitment to help the communities in which we live and work. Community Force is a platform that empowers local projects and charities to raise awareness of their work and make their plans a reality with the support of NatWest and their local community.

The Community Force website has become a hub for projects to talk about the work they do and let local people find out how they can get involved.

In addition, charities have been able to apply for their projects to be in with a chance of winning £6000! The three projects with the most votes in each Community Force area will win an award.

St Mary’s applied and our project has been accepted.

This year the community force awards will be allocated based on votes from local people and this is where you come in. We need you to vote for St Mary’s at http://communityforce.natwest.com/project/1265

Voting is open now and you can vote anytime up to the 23rd October.

Once you have voted please pass this e-mail on to all your contacts and ask them to vote to support St Mary’s!

Founder member of St Mary's sadly passes away

It is with great sadness that we have to announce the death of one of the original founder members of St Mary’s and our dear friend, Nick Gosswinn. Nick died in Furness General Hospital on the 27th September after a period of illness.

In 2009 St Mary's reflected on 25 years of considerable achievement. To celebrate the occasion a tree planting ceremony took place - of a liquid amber tree - by the original founder members of the hospice (Pictured).

At the service Nick explained that back in 1984 Margaret Berry, Clarissa Kavanagh and himself came up with the raw idea of a Hospice for the South Cumbria area and worked extremely hard to make their vision a reality.

He said "We had a vision of a place of peace and tranquility and after a lot of heartache and headaches the Hospice was eventually opened (by Princess Diana) in 1990. It has since built a reputation as the centre of excellence where the treatment and care is unsurpassed."

Nick worked tirelessly for the charity and after its establishment worked as a volunteer in later years.

His funeral was held at Thorncliffe Crematorium on Friday 7th October.

He will be sadly missed by all who knew him.

Hospice Hill Climb Series - All is well that ends well on Gamswell Fell

The final round of the Hospice hillclimb series took place on 1st September up the Gamswell hill course. 18 riders took part on a picture perfect evening and produced some seriously quick times.

Youth shone through with the overall win taken by Barrow Central Wheelers, Connor Furness clocking a lightning 5-27 and shaving over 40 seconds off his first go.

In the women’s category the win was taken by recently crowned (for a 9th time!) world masters champion Anne Plant, with 6-52.

The veteran’s category was hotly contested, and top wrinkly was Lakes Eammon Quinn at 6-27, taking over 30 seconds off his last time. Also competing was an interesting effort by local tri-athlete George Ambrose, who ditched the bike & ran the course!

The Mens category was taken by Scotty Smith, just missing out on the overall at 5-33.

Congratulations must go to the Barrow Central Wheelers who completed a clean sweep in the interclub event. Well done to the yellow menace for a comprehensive win and big turn out to all the races.

A huge thank you goes to the Ulverston Brewing Company for sponsoring this race and to all the businesses that have sponsored the other races. 4 £10 vouchers were handed out to the winners of each category at this event, along with 4 spot prizes kindly supplied by the Brewery.

None of the races would have taken place without the help of volunteers who gave up their free time to marshal, time keep, take photos, update websites, and give assistance. THANK YOU also to Steve, Ian, Wils, Andy, Miss Jenkinson, Zoe, Chadders, Ivor, Brenda & George, Tony, Mike, Claire, Allan, Pete, Charis, the Furness's, Roz & Flumps, the oldies, & Martyn.

We are delighted to announce that throughout the series we have raised £218.53 for St Mary’s Hospice, which is more than we had hoped for.

The organisers hope that everyone enjoyed a chance to have a go throughout the summer at what is usually an autumn sport and appreciate all the generosity in raising funds for the Hospice.

Thanks to everyone that had a go this year and we look forward to seeing you in 2012.

Howie Lindow

St Mary's Santa Dash 2011!

If you are planning to visit the Dickensian Festival in Ulverston this year you may get a shock. St Mary’s hopes that hundreds of bearded Santa’s, will be taking part in their second Santa Dash, on Saturday 26th November. The festive event starts at 1.30pm at Ulverston Victoria High School and after travelling a mile the Santa’s will finish at Victoria Gardens in time to join the Dickensian Grand Parade, which proceeds through the town centre at 3.00pm.


Everyone who enters the 1 mile run/walk will get a free Santa Claus costume, which they get to keep, and there will also be a certificate for all who complete the run.

Zoe Guest, Funding & Operations Manager said “We hope our Santa Dash will once again be a really fun event for all the family. Last year we had 54 entries and this year we hope to see hundreds of Santa’s running through the streets of Ulverston. The Hospice provides supportive and palliative care for life-limiting illnesses and to their families, both at the Hospice itself and at home. The Santa Dash will helps us to raise the funds we need to continue to offer these vital services”

“Even though it is only autumn and the sun is still shining, it is a great time to sign up for the challenge so you have plenty of time to get fit” said Zoe

People wanting to take part in the St Mary’s Santa Dash can enter individually or as a family. Entrants must be aged 4 and over, and all those under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. The entry fee is £12.50 per adult and £7.50 per child with a special offer of £30 for a family of 2 adults and 2 children.

To enter please call the Santa Dash Hotline on 01229 580305 or visit http://www.stmaryshospice.org/events/santadash.php

Celebrities’ Sing to Help Hospice

Furness musicians will take to the stage once again with local “celebrities” for St Mary’s Voices for Hospices charity talent contest. The event was a resounding success back in 2009 and St Mary’s hope that this year’s event will be bigger and better than ever!

Entertainers from South Cumbria will be paired up with well-known local people from the area in a singing competition to raise funds for the Hospice. Together they will sing a duet to compete to be the Voices for Hospices Champions 2011 on 27th October.

Those taking part include Rochelle Berry from Bay Radio, Rev Allan Mitchell from Dalton and former Barrow AFC player Mr Neil Doherty.

Local entertainers who will be partnered up with contestants include Steve Silver, Pete Thompson, Melissa Thompson and Lisa Hart.

The evening is sponsored by the Best of Barrow and Furness and will be compared by Pete Murphy. There will be a special judging panel on the night, but the audience vote will crown the winners.

The event has been organised as part of Voices for Hospices, which will see concerts taking place around the world throughout October to promote Hospice care.

Tickets are £10 including a light buffet supper and are available now from St Mary’s Hospice or the St Mary’s Hospice shops in Ulverston, Barrow and Dalton.

My Darling Clemmie with Rohan McCullough

A huge thank you goes to all those people who attended “My Darling Clemmie” at the Victoria Hall in Grange to raise funds for the Charity on Friday 16th September. A fantastic one off performance was given by Rohan McCullough who was described by attendees as “captivating” and “mesmerising.” In addition, £1145 was raised from the event for St Mary’s.

Rohan McCullough began her career in the original cast of the legendary musical Hair and Jean-Louis Barrault's Rabelais. She has also been seen as Antigone in Oedipus at Colonnus (Manchester Royal Exchange) and in Les Liaisons Dangereuses (RSC). Her film appearances include Derek Jarman's War Requiem and David Hare's Strapless. She has given poetry and music recitals in London and at Arts Festivals nationwide. She has performed as narrator with leading American symphony orchestras, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl and The Boston Symphony at Carnegie Hall

“My Darling Clemmie” was written by Hugh Whitemore. Hugh has written for the stage, films and television. His TV film, The Gathering Storm, which was about Churchill in the 1930’s, won an Emmy, the Writers’ Guild of America Award, and the Broadcasting Press Guild Award for the best television drama of 2002.

My Darling Clemmie is the remarkable, moving and highly entertaining story of the woman who married one of the truly great figures of the 20th century: Sir Winston Churchill. As described by Lord Halifax as “The Guardian Angel of our country’s guardian.”

In 2009 My Darling Clemmie was performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in the Assembly Rooms and for Rohan McCullough to come and perform the show locally for St Mary’s was a lifetime opportunity for many local people.

A big thank you goes to all the staff at the Victoria Hall, the Grange Operatic Society and all staff who were involved in making this event possible.

As Winston Churchill said “My most brilliant achievement was my ability to be able to persuade my wife to marry me.”

Manchester to Blackpool Bike Ride

A big thank you goes out to all who took part in the Manchester to Blackpool bike ride on 10th July 2011 in aid of St Mary's Hospice, including Sandy Townsend (pictured), who raised a wonderful £600 for the charity!

Sandy commented on the event:

"At 2pm on Sunday afternoon, I crossed the finish line having started the ride at 8am. Not exactly the time I was aiming for but as you might expect the event did not run as smoothly as I would have liked!

The first 18 miles went without a snag and I was really enjoying myself, however just as the bunch of cyclists passed Standish Golf Club, I was overtaken by a fellow competitor and as he cut in and took my line his rear wheel caught mine and I was on the floor!

The cyclists to my rear did their best to avoid me but there was a bit of a pile up! Injured and bloody (someone else’s blood!)I was picked up from the road and two kind cyclists checked my bike over and dried my tears and I began mile 19/65. Cycled into torrential rain for the next half hour, followed by sharp showers for the following half hour. The dreadful weather was further compounded by my post crash bike having a bent handlebar and there was also something wrong with my gears. All I needed to do was get to the next mech stop, that was my goal.

Arrived at a sunny Preston Sports Arena and had my bars sorted. The crash had also bent a thingy which needed the doodah removing, straightening and then recalibrating. 20 mins or so later I was back on the road (with gears) for mile 48/65.

As I approached St Anne’s pier, the roar of three fans cheering me on (Julie, Mike and Max) gave me the extra bit of encouragement I needed to get me to the finish, also Mike explained that even with my bad luck, I was still in the top 50, out of about 8000 riders!

Next thing I knew I was crossing the finish line at the Solaris Centre, with my lovely Family who had placed themselves right at the chequered flag! And had waited quite some time!

I cycled to work, Monday and Tuesday with my aches and pains which made me realise, a bumped head, sore rump etc etc for a few days is NOTHING compared to the conditions some people have to endure for the rest of their lives. I am talking about the people that you have helped by donating your hard earned cash to a cause which is now very close to my heart.

Love and thanks

Rider 3509"

Furness Firecrackers Roller Marathon!

St Mary's Hospice would like to thank The Furness Firecrackers Team from GP Commissioning who took part in a Roller Marathon at Goodwood Park.

Team member Wendy Gillen comments on the event, "It was brilliant and wasn't as difficult as I thought it was going to be! We are definitely going to do it again next year, hopefully with a bigger team. I completed the marathon in 2 hours and 41 minutes. I have no blisters or aches or pains, so it was a complete success! All 6 of the Furness Firecrackers Team managed to complete the course to raise much needed cash for St Mary's Hospice."

So far the team has raised a fantastic £1300 and they are still collecting sponsorship until November. Well done girls!

17 strong group walks Cumbria Way to raise vital funds

A 17-strong group of walkers, led by Martin Hughes from Barrow, embarked upon the five-day trek along the Cumbria Way walk to Carlisle, from Ulverston in memory of Linda Hughes in June 2011.

The walk was held to raise money for St Mary’s Hospice, where Mr Hughes’ wife Linda was cared for before she died, aged 45, on the 10th September 2010.

On the 10th September 2011, the group gathered together again at the Brown Cow Inn, Dalton to present Zoe Guest from St Mary’s Hospice with £7765, which has been raised by all the participants for the charity.

The group is now planning to hold an annual fundraising event in Linda’s memory.

Mr Hughes said he was extremely grateful to Phil and Jenny Collier, who drove the group’s support car along the journey and ferried bits and pieces to them along the way.

Mr Hughes would also like to thank Tina Bayliss, Selina McKenna, Angela Forbes and Mandy Shaw for bringing daily supplies to the group.

Zoe Guest said “It is a fantastic achievement to raise such a significant amount of money for St Mary’s. We cannot thank Martin and the team enough for everything that they have done and really appreciate all the support shown to St Mary’s.”

Paws for Thought

We were delighted that 39 dogs and their owners turned up for our first ever sponsored dog walk “Paws for Thought” on Sunday 11th September. Despite the terrible weather, all the pets put their best feet forward with their families to raise funds for St Mary’s.

“Paws for Thought”, in memory of Family Support Team Leader, Mo Kirk, who sadly passed away recently, covered 1.5 miles and took place from Glaxo Sports and Social club, Ulverston.

The course took the owners and dogs towards the coast and then on a circuit of the playing fields. It was then back to the entrance for well-deserved refreshments for both adults and dogs. All dogs who took part in the event received an award for their participation.

It is hoped that together participants will have raised over £1200 for St Mary’s, which is a wonderful achievement. We will certainly be running the event in 2012 and hope that even more dogs will come forward to take the challenge.

A Day at the Races raises £4200!

Lots of people put on their finest outfits to help raise funds for St Mary’s Hospice when we held our first ever charity race night, kindly hosted by Cartmel Racecourse on the 25th August.

There were some fabulous prizes for the best dressed racegoers (male and female) and lots of glamorous activities in the “Belles and Beaus” enclosure. In addition, to all the fun associated with racing at Cartmel, there was an emphasis on fashion and the opportunity to take part and enjoy a range of stalls.

During the afternoon racegoers were also treated to an amazing fashion show by locally based fashion designer, Angi Morton. The volunteer models looked stunning in outfits that were complemented by hats provided by Tracy Wells who helped to organise the event.

The first prize for the best dressed lady was provided by Sue Shields Face and Body Spa in conjunction with Clarins UK – a spa day for two at Sue Shields Face and Body Spa in Carnforth and a Clarins hamper worth £300 - which was presented to a lady dressed in a stunning black and white outfit with matching hat.

Other generous prizes for the runners up, contributed by local companies included: fashion shoots from Kells Photographic Images of Barrow; jewellery from Sienna (Kirby Lonsdale); designer gift vouchers from Phoebe (Ulverston); and a bespoke fascinator voucher from The Hat Box (Barrow). A pair of binoculars from Lamberts (Lancaster) was the first prize for the best dressed male and one night’s bed and breakfast for two at the Green Castle Hotel in Kendal was given to the runner up.

A huge thank you goes to everyone who helped with the event and supported all the activities. We are delighted to announce that we will have made over £4200 which is a wonderful achievement.

A special thanks goes to Jeff Walsh and the team who donated the prizes for the silent auction. This raised £1646 during the evening.

We hope to hold the event in 2012 and make it bigger and better still.

Charity Band Night raises £311.30!

The Fundraising Team at St Mary’s would like to thank all of the local bands who performed at the Charity Band Night at The Nines on Thursday 18th August. Collie Stewart and The Roomers, Audio Conspiracy, Last Gang in Town and Olivia Lumb all pulled together at the last minute to help raise £311.30 for the charity and to promote the hospice movement by covering the stage, and themselves, in bright and cheerful sunflowers.

For more information about future music events like this email events@stmaryshospice.org.uk. If you are musically talented yourself and would like to get involved please get in touch.

Paws for Thought

Lots of owners have registered their pooch for our first ever sponsored walk for dogs on Sunday 11th September. However, we would love to reach our maximum of having 100 owners coming forward to put their pooch to the test.

“Paws for Thought”, in memory of Family Support Team Leader, Mo Kirk, who sadly passed away recently, covers 1.5 miles and will take place from Glaxo Sports and Social club, Ulverston starting at 1.30pm.

The course takes the owners and dogs (which must be on a lead) towards the coast and then on a circuit of the playing fields. It is then back to the entrance for well-deserved refreshments for owners and dogs.

All dogs who take part will receive an award for their participation in the event.
Places on the sponsored walk can be booked in advance or will be taken on the day. However, it will be on a first come basis. Registration is £5 per dog and they will be issued with a sponsor form to try and raise as much money as they can for St Mary’s.

To register your dog 01229 580305 or visit http://www.stmaryshospice.org/events/eventscalendar.php

The photograph shows Bailey Guest who will be taking part in the event!

Vintage Afternoon Tea at The Custom House

The team at the Custom House in Barrow arranged a Vintage Afternoon Tea to raise funds for St Mary’s on Wednesday 17th August.

The afternoon was a wonderful success with everyone having an exceedingly good time.

The 47 people who attended were treated to a delightful choice of sandwiches, cakes and scones. Music was provided by the amazing Mr Denis Horan.

We are delighted to announce that the event and a raffle with prizes donated by local businesses raised an amazing £900 for St Mary’s Hospice and the pictures show the team at the Custom House presenting the funds to Zoe Guest, Funding & Operations Manager.

Pictured: Germaine Mackenzie, Zoe Crayston, Keiron Hart, Stacey Pearce, Louise Richardson, Martine Scrogham and Zo Rollings owner of the Custom House.

Grange Weekend Sale raises £845.85!

With an amazing amount of effort by Shop Coordinator Tracy and the Grange Shop volunteers, the Grange Bank Holiday Weekend Sale raised £449.85 at Sunday's Art Clearance Sale and £396.00 at Monday's End of Season sale.

In total this weekend raised £845.85! Thank you to all who attended!

CHARITY BAND NIGHT IN AID OF ST MARY'S

Thank you to Lee Arrowsmith!

The Fundraising Team at St Mary's would like to thank Lee Arrowsmith for presenting the Hospice with a cheque for £1300. This amazing amount of money was raised through sponsorship of his epic run at the London Marathon and a Golf Competition at Furness Golf Club in Barrow.

To raise £1300 is an amazing achievement and to gain so much sponsorship from the local community is fantastic. Lee hopes to run the New York Marathon later in the year.

Pictured: Lee Arrowsmith presenting his cheque to Zoe Guest, Funding & Operations Manager at St Mary's.

Tour de Furness Fun!

The ‘Tour de Furness’ charity cycle event is organised by the Rotary Club of Furness, to raise money for St Mary’s Hospice and other Rotary charities. The idea of the event is to get cyclists of all abilities joining in to have fun while raising money for local charity.

This year the event takes place on Sunday 4th September 2011.

The cycle routes will be very similar to the routes used last year. There will again be a family fun ride of 5 miles, the Tour de Furness route of 13 miles, which passes by Furness Abbey and for cycling enthusiasts there is the, Furness 50, which covers approximately 50 miles to Coniston and back in a figure of eight. Remember that the event is not a race, it is for fun so let us hope for fine weather on the first Sunday of September!

To register on-line or for further information please go to the event website www.tourdefurness.co.uk

Ryan's Haircut raises £322.50!

Ryan Kipling is 11 years old and hadn't had his hair cut for a full year. When popping in to visit his Nana, owner of The Farmers Arms pub on Hollow Lane, Barrow-in-Furness, customers would have a joke with him about his long hair and how he needed a good cut! Ryan decided to challenge the jokers to put their money where their mouths were and sponsor him to get the much needed cut!

So Ryan rallied around collecting sponsorship in preparation for his looming hair cut on 19th July. Ryan raised an amazing £322.50, of which both he, his family and The Farmers Arms customers are very proud of. The staff at St Mary's are also very proud of Ryan and would like to thank him for taking part in this extraordinary fundraising challenge!

Pictured: Ryan before and after his hair cut!!

Bridge Club play for Charity

Barrow and Grange Bridge Clubs initiated a new competition to raise funds for local charity St Mary’s Hospice.

In this Simultaneous Pairs event the same hands were played in Bridge clubs in Barrow, Grange, Kendal, Workington, Carlisle and St. Bees. The competition was scored at each club but also across the entire field.

The overall winners were two of the County’s top players, Babs Matthews (Grange Club) playing with Ian Reeves (Carlisle).

A total of £636 was raised for the charity. It is hoped that this will become an annual event.

Pictured: The Bridge Clubs present a cheque for £636 to St Mary's Director Sue McGraw

Thanks to The World of Beatrix Potter

We would firstly like to thank The World of Beatrix Potter for kindly donating a fantastic Peter Rabbit Cake to St Mary's Hospice to be used in a silent auction.

The cake, complete with Peter Rabbit and Mr. McGregor icing figurines, was displayed in the Orangery Cafe at St Mary's Hospice, for customers to make a secret bid in an envelope.

The winner of the cake was Mrs Marion Ainsworth who commented: "I hoped to win the cake so that I could distribute it to all the children who live on my lovely close-knit street. It really is a wonderful cake! I was delighted to find out that I was the highest bidder!"

The staff at St Mary's would like to thank Mrs Ainsworth for her generous offer on the cake.

Pictured: Representative from The World of Beatrix Potter presenting the cake to St Mary's nurses Karen Walker and Sue McDougal.

CHARITY BAND NIGHT IN AID OF ST MARY'S