St Mary's Hospice Latest News

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2011-12-05T06:59:00.000-08:00

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NFU coffee morning raises £500!

2011-12-05T02:57:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-05T02:54:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-05T02:49:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-05T02:46:00.000-08:00

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!

2011-11-29T08:03:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-29T07:23:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-29T07:18:00.000-08:00

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!

2011-11-29T06:50:00.000-08:00

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!

2011-11-29T06:26:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-17T07:41:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-10T05:11:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-08T08:40:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-08T08:32:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-01T03:07:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-11-01T02:49:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-26T06:28:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-26T06:21:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-10-26T06:06:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-26T05:58:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-26T05:55:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-26T05:54:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-26T05:45:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-13T03:55:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-10-12T06:07:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-12T01:50:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-10T04:36:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-10-10T02:40:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-10T02:32:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-10T02:08:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-16T07:44:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-09-16T07:35:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-16T07:27:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-16T07:21:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-09-08T08:27:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-09-01T07:49:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-01T06:58:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-01T06:31:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-09-01T02:47:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-17T06:48:00.000-07:00

Thank you to Lee Arrowsmith!

2011-08-17T05:55:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-08-16T08:40:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-08-16T08:12:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-16T08:05:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-16T07:27:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-16T05:17:00.000-07:00

A Sportsman's Evening with Henry Olonga

2011-08-16T04:57:00.000-07:00

St Mary’s Hospice is delighted to announce that it will be hosting a charity Sportsman’s Dinner and Fundraising Auction on Friday 28th October 2011, at The Lisdoonie Hotel, Abbey Road, Barrow in Furness.

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 for ladies and gentlemen and are priced at £30. All funds raised will go to St Mary’s, which is the dedicated provider of comprehensive supportive and palliative care for people with life-limiting conditions in South Cumbria.

Zoe Guest, Funding & Operations Manager said “It should be an excellent evening of entertainment and we hope to sell all 200 available tickets. We hope that the event and auction will raise much needed funds to help the Hospice to continue providing patient care throughout Furness and the South Lakes.”

The evening will commence at 7.30pm and the dress code for the event is lounge suit.

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

Cheaper Tickets Now Available for Cartmel Charity Race Night!

2011-08-16T04:24:00.000-07:00

Come on girls, put on your finest outfits and help raise funds for St Mary’s Hospice at the first ever charity race night hosted by Cartmel Racecourse. There will be some fabulous prizes for the best dressed race goers (male and female) and lots of fun activities in the “Belles and Beaus” enclosure. In addition, to all the fun associated with racing at Cartmel, there will be an emphasis on fashion and the opportunity to take part and enjoy a range of fundraising activities.

Local business-woman Tracy Wells thinks that the charity event will be a huge attraction and is using her business links to ensure that a wide range of local companies and individuals become involved in the day. The milliner, who also runs a hairdressing business, says “There are many ladies who would love the opportunity to glam up and show off their finery – so what occasion than to get dressed up for the races!”

“The hospice is a very worthy cause and many of us have personal reasons for focusing all our efforts on these fundraising activities – in my own case, they showed great care and compassion to my mother in her final days”.

The first prize for the ladies will be 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. Other generous prizes contributed by local companies include: fashion shoots from Kells Photographic Images of Barrow; jewellery from Sienna (Kirby Lonsdale); designer gift vouchers from Phoebe (Ulverston); a bespoke fascinator voucher from The Hat Box (Barrow); a pair of binoculars from Lamberts (Lancaster) and one night’s bed and breakfast for two at The Castle Green Hotel in Kendal.

The Belles and Beaus Enclosure will be located adjacent to the Grandstand, a special area adjacent to the parade ring in the Paddock Enclosure, and will be decorated by Bay View Garden Centre and entrance will be through a special arch provided by Haverigg prison. All race goers will be invited to donate £5 or more to St Mary’s Hospice in return for a corsage or buttonhole, which will admit them to the Belles & Beaus Enclosure as well as demonstrate their support for the popular local charity. Chill with a glass of champagne at one of the bars, or bring your own picnic to celebrate.

For those looking for dining and hospitality, there will be Charity hospitality in Chasers restaurant starting at 3.00pm on race day. Starting with a drink and canapés followed by a sumptuous buffet meal at 4.30pm and an excellent view of the racing all guests will be treated to music provided by The Two of Us and Voce. The package costs £75 per person, £18 of which will go directly to the charity.

Although no strict dress code will be enforced, it is hoped that race goers will rise to the occasion and that women will wear hats or fascinators while the men will wear jackets.

For further information visit www.cartmel-racecourse.co.uk or call the Grandstand office on 015395 36340.

Hospice Hill Climb Series - Round 3 : Grizebeck : 4th August

2011-08-11T06:53:00.000-07:00

27 riders turned out to race the 3rd round of the hospice hillclimb series, up Grizebeck hill. 5 Lakes Road Club riders were joined by new recruit Sam Greenall who had a go at his first ever race and clocked a decent 10 minutes dead. For his efforts Sam won a spot prize worth £10 of cycling booty.

The overall win was flying Scotty Smith with an impressive 7:46, setting the tone for a Barrow Central Wheelers whitewash. Of the first 5 places 4 were occupied by the 'yellow train', gaining a further 56 seconds in the interclub competition.

First female was again Lynn Hammel who sealed 4th place with 7:58. Winner of the 45+ cat was 15th placed Patrick Elliott with 9:10. On the home front Adam Pickthall was the fastest Lakes Road Club rider, just missing out on the 8 minute mark with 8:06 which was 6th overall.

The race was generously sponsored by Gill Cycles, who provided 4 £10 vouchers for the winners of each cat and also 4 spot prizes for 4 randomly chosen riders on the night - 1st race, youngest rider, 2nd female and lantern rouge.

Another £34.50 was raised for St Mary’s, which takes the total so far to £144.50. The final round is on 1st September up Gamswell hill. And note that for this final round racing starts early at 1830, so sign-on is 1800, and to avoid any traffic problems this time sign-on will be at the pay and display car park at the bottom of Stockbridge Lane.

Race categories - Mens/Ladies/45+/Under 18s. Prizes in all categories. All races run under Cycling Time Trials conditions. For further information visit www.lakesroadclub.org.uk or www.barrowcentralwhs.org.uk

Volunteer Appreciation Events

2011-08-09T06:55:00.000-07:00

Nearly 100 of our dedicated volunteer team took the opportunity to attend one of our volunteer appreciation events, which took place on Tuesday 26th July, Wednesday 27th July, and Thursday 4th August.

The events were an opportunity to meet our new Director, Sue McGraw, enjoy a selection of light refreshments, and join in our informal workshops. The workshops were a perfect opportunity for all volunteers to give St Mary’s their feedback on a variety of plans and developments.

Each event allowed all our volunteers to mix together, which isn’t often possible, meet members of staff and to see recent developments at St Mary’s including the Orangery Cafe, the new Gift Shop and our new look reception area.

The events were very successful and thoroughly enjoyed by all who attended. We really appreciate all the support we receive from our volunteers and thank them for taking the opportunity to help us once again.

If you are interested in volunteering with St Mary’s please contact Catherine Sullivan who will be able to help you. Call 01229 580305 or email volunteers@stmaryshospice.org.uk

Thank you to Inside Out Soccer!

2011-08-09T06:46:00.000-07:00

Neil Doherty, Director of Inside Out Soccer Limited presented Zoe Guest from St Mary’s Hospice with a cheque for £350 at Barrow AFC on Friday 5th August. The money was raised at the Inside Out 5 year celebration and Amy Winehouse Tribute night held at the Lisdoonie Hotel on Friday 22nd July.

St Mary’s would like to thank Neil and the team for organising the event and all those who attended for raising funds for the Hospice.

Thank you to Furness Photogs!

2011-08-09T06:26:00.000-07:00

A big thank you goes out to the Furness Photogs. They recently held an exhibition of their work in Barrow in Furness and raised a fantastic £243.97 for St Mary’s Hospice.

The Furness Photogs group is open to photographers, no matter what level, living in the Furness area or anyone taking photos in Cumbria and The Lake District. The group is run by the North West Evening Mail, and some of the best photographs appear in the paper. Group members can enter competitions, take part in tutorials and ask advice from the pros. You can check out the group's photography on their Flickr page: www.flickr.com/groups/furnessphotogs/

Pictured: Members of the club who presented the proceeds from the event to Zoe Guest, Funding & Operations Manager, at the Orangery on Tuesday 26th July.

Michael Buble Came to Dalton!

2011-08-09T06:13:00.000-07:00

A fantastic night was had by everyone who attended our tribute evening on Friday 5th August. Dalton Cricket Club was filled with the sounds of the outstanding Canadian crooner at a special evening arranged by the fundraising team to raise funds for St Mary’s. Starting at 7.30pm, DJ Billy and Dave Roberts offered a retrospective of the songs from the Rat pack and modern day and entertained the audience before Lee J Harris came to the stage.

Lee J Harris, who has the reputation as one of the UKs brightest young stars then performed as Michael Buble. It was soon clear why his tribute show to Bublé is the best around! Lee J Harris in 'Michael Bublé live' showed not only an extraordinary Michael Bublé tribute, but also a knack for making familiar repertoire his own and he was adored by the audience. The show was an amazing hit with all who attended and we are pleased to announce the evening raised £805 for St Mary’s, which is fantastic.

Lee J Harris has a worldwide following and has been pleasing audiences of all ages for many years with his unique voice. He now has a huge following in Dalton in Furness!

Member of Hospice Fundraising Team to Jump out of a Plane on Saturday!

2011-08-09T05:41:00.000-07:00

Pictured: Natalie Duncan, Fundraising Assistant at St Mary's Hospice and her husband Michael who will be taking part in the sponsored Skydive on Saturday.

Natalie Duncan, a member of the Fundraising team at St Mary's Hospice, will bravely be jumping out of a plane on Saturday 13th August! As a Fundraiser Natalie works tirelessly to raise awareness and funds for a cause that is very close to her heart.

Please take a few moments to read Natalie's words...

"Hi Everyone. I would firstly like to thank everybody who has kindly sponsored me already. I really appreciate your support!

Both I and my husband Michael have signed up to take part in the 10,000 ft freefall skydive in aid of St Mary’s Hospice.

I would like to let you all know that this will be a huge challenge for me!! I am petrified of even stepping onto a plane, never mind the engines starting up and the plane taking off! To jump out of a plane will probably be the scariest thing in the world for me to experience, but I believe that people have to go through far worse than this in everyday life, which is why the care and support that St Mary’s provides is so important to our community.

I have also roped my husband Michael into taking part in the skydive alongside me, and he isn’t particularly looking forward to it either, but I know that his support will give me the courage to let go of that plane door!

Obviously, the most important reason behind taking part is to raise both awareness and sponsorship money for St Mary’s. Both Michael and I would like to raise as much money as possible for the charity!

St Mary’s is a very special place to me, filled with some of the most caring and inspiring people I have met in my life – so please help us reach our target and make a difference to the Hospice.

The skydive takes place on Saturday 13th August at The North West Parachute Centre, Cark Airfield. If you would like to sponsor me please visit my Justgiving page:

www.justgiving.com/Natalie-Duncan0

Thank you for taking the time to read this. It would be of great help if you could pass on the information to anybody you believe would like to make donations to St Mary’s Hospice.

Thank you so much! Natalie xx."

TICKETS NOW ON SALE FOR ST MARY'S FASHION SHOW!

2011-08-08T07:41:00.000-07:00

St Mary’s Hospice is delighted to announce that they will once again be hosting a Ladies Evening & Fashion Show on Thursday 18th August at The Nines, Dalkeith Street, Barrow-in-Furness. Doors open at 7.30pm.

Following on from the successful event in 2010, this show is guaranteed heaven. Complete with stunning couture and sublime ready-to-wear collections, live music, a glass of pink fizz for all attendees and health and beauty demonstrations, there is something for everyone.

Models will showcase a fine selection of fashionable clothing from the St Mary’s charity shops, which will be available to purchase during the evening at excellent prices. St Mary’s hope to create a demonstration of recycling at its best – and hope that the audience will be keen to snap up items donated to St Mary’s in time for the autumn season.

Browse stands and get involved in demonstrations by Benefit makeup, Clarins, Bijou Boutique, The Hat Box, and Paul French Hair. Guests will also enjoy a live music performance by rock band Collie Stewart & The Roomers.

Tickets are £10 which will include pink fizz and treats and available from St Mary’s Hospice, St Mary’s shops and Bar Five, Barrow-in-Furness. You can also call 01229 580305.

This is not just THE show of the year; this event has heart. St Mary's Hospice is the dedicated provider in South Cumbria of comprehensive specialised supportive and palliative care for people with life limiting conditions and all funds raised from the event will go to support the charity.

TICKETS ARE FOR OVER 18’S ONLY. TICKETS ARE LIMITED SO PURCHASE YOURS TODAY!

FASHION SHOW MODEL HUNT
We are looking for models over 18 years of age, male and female, of all shapes and sizes, to take part in our fashion show.

The event starts at 7.30pm but models will be expected to arrive earlier and the show may run until quite late. Models will perform on the catwalk in front of an audience, wearing fine clothing collections from the St Mary’s shops. Models will be pampered with hair styling and makeup by local salons and beauticians.

If you would like to take part please contact Hannah or Natalie on 01229 580305

Paws for Thought

2011-07-28T04:55:00.000-07:00

St Mary’s Hospice is hoping to have a barking-mad day out on Sunday 11th September when they host their first ever sponsored walk for dogs. We hope that a maximum of 100 owners will come 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 starting at 1.30pm.

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

Event organiser, Zoe Guest said: "Our new Paws for Thought walk in Ulverston is an ideal opportunity for dog owners to get out with their pets and friends and family to enjoy a scenic walk and raise much needed funds for their local hospice. We'd like as many people to join in as possible. Our dear colleague Mo came up with the name for this event and we would like it to be a success in tribute to her.”

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 owners will be issued with a sponsor form to try and raise as much money as they can for St Mary’s. To register call 01229 580305 or visit www.stmaryshospice.org.uk/events/eventscalendar.php

Calling all Belles & Beaus for Cartmel Charity Race Night!

2011-07-28T04:50:00.000-07:00

Cartmel Racecourse will be the setting for a special race night on 25th August – it’s their first ever Charity Race night and the beneficiary will be St Mary's Hospice. In addition to all the fun associated with racing at Cartmel, there will be an emphasis on fashion as there will be prizes for the best dressed racegoers and a special “Belles and Beaus” Enclosure for the fashion conscious to enjoy a range of fundraising activities.

Local business-woman Tracy Wells thinks that the charity event will be a huge attraction and is using her business links to ensure that a wide range of local companies and individuals become involved in the day. The milliner, who also runs a hairdressing business, says “There are many ladies who’d love the opportunity to glam up and show off their finery – so what occasion than to get dressed up for the races!”

“The hospice is a very worthy cause and many of us have personal reasons for focusing all our efforts on these fundraising activities – in my own case, they showed great care and compassion to my mother in her final days”.

There will be prizes for both the best dressed female racegoer (the Belle) and the best dressed male racegoer (the Beau). The first prize for the ladies will be 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. Other generous prizes contributed by local companies include: fashion shoots from Kells photographic images of Barrow; jewellery from Sienna (Kirby Lonsdale); designer gift vouchers from phoebe (Ulverston); a bespoke fascinator voucher from The Hat Box (Barrow); a pair of binoculars from Lamberts (Lancaster) and one night’s bed and breakfast for two at the Green Castle Hotel in Kendal.

The Belles and Beaus Enclosure will be located adjacent to the Grandstand, within the Paddock Enclosure, and will be decorated by Efflorescence, Bay View Garden Centre and Gas Bagz Balloons and entrance will be through a special arch provided by Haverigg prison. Music will be provided by The Two of Us and Voce. Although no strict dress code will be enforced, it is hoped that racegoers will rise to the occasion and that women will wear hats or fascinators while the men will wear jackets. All racegoers will be invited to donate £5 or more to St Mary’s Hospice in return for a corsage or buttonhole, which will admit them to the Belles & Beaus Enclosure as well as demonstrate their support for the popular local charity.

For those looking for exclusive dining and hospitality, there will be a Charity Lunch starting at 2.00pm on the raceday in the superb Louis Roederer Restaurant with a view of the race track. The sumptuous three course meal will be followed by tea at 5.30pm and racing. The package costs £150 per person, £50 of which will go directly to the charity.

For further information on 25th August call the Grandstand office on 015395 36340 or visit www.cartmel-racecourse.co.uk

Michael Bublé Comes to Dalton!

2011-07-28T04:45:00.000-07:00

On Friday 5th August, St Mary’s Hospice hopes to bring the sounds of the outstanding Canadian crooner to Dalton when they host a special evening at Dalton Cricket Club to raise funds for the charity. Starting at 7.30pm, DJ Billy and Dave Roberts will offer a retrospective of the songs from the Rat pack and entertain the audience with tunes from some of the most famous acts of the time.

Then, Lee J Harris who has the reputation as one of the UKs brightest young stars will then perform as Michael Bublé. It will soon become clear why his tribute show to Bublé is the best around! Lee J Harris has also been touted in some circles as being a "new Sinatra" and in 'Michael Bublé live' he will show not only an extraordinary Michael Bublé tribute, but also a knack for making familiar repertoire his own.

Tickets are £10 to include Hot Pot provided by Kitchen Wizard.

Lee J Harris has a worldwide following and has been pleasing audiences of all ages for many years with his unique voice and vocal style and his vast repertoire. The St Mary’s Fundraising team are sure that this event will soon be sold out.

For further information or to purchase tickets call 01229 580305.

The C2C Challenges raises £27,629!

2011-07-28T04:38:00.000-07:00

The C2C challenge (29 June - 02 July) is now complete. We are delighted to announce that the team of 15 riders who set out to ride 170 miles (mainly off road just to add to the pain!) starting from Robin Hood Bay on the East Coast and finishing at St Mary’s successfully completed their challenge at Ulverston Carnival.

The team actually covered 188 miles in total due to a miss calculation, but on the 2nd July had raised an amazing £27,629.06 for St Marys, which smashed their £20,000 target.

There is a blog detailing all the rider’s pain levels each day and details of their trip on the website www.stmarysc2cchallenge.co.uk

Jeff Walsh the main organiser of the Challenge said “Day 2 was really hard - 10.5'hours on a bike isn't great for anyone. What should have been an easy of road start turned out to be a nightmare! Loads of breakdowns, punctures and gears, which didn't make the day easy.”

“However, day 3 & 4 turned out to be better and I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their support up to and over the ride. The finish was overwhelming at the Ulverston Carnival and a special thanks to the Hospice and their team along with The Bay Radio for being so gentle with someone so microphone shy!”

St Mary’s would like to say a huge thank you to everyone involved especially the 15 riders and support team who completed such an amazing challenge. The response to the ride and sponsorship has been amazing.

Support our work with a legacy...

2011-07-28T04:29:00.000-07:00

St Mary’s was delighted to be presented with a donation for £10000 from the estate of the late Mr Colin Dale. The funds were officially handed over to the nursing team at St Mary’s on Wednesday 20th July by Mr Dale's wife Jeanette. Mrs Dale explained that Colin wanted to give something back to St Mary’s for all the loving care that he had received during his illness. The funds are to be used to purchase two new mattresses for the inpatient unit to support those patients that are unable to get out of bed and new uniforms for all the nursing staff.

It wouldn’t have been possible to purchase the new equipment without this generous gift. It costs over £2 million to run all St Mary’s services each year and the majority of the income has to be raised from voluntary sources.

Making a Will is an important responsibility that can secure the future of your family and loved ones. To make a Will is to take a step towards ensuring that those you care for are properly provided for financially.

When making your Will, please consider St Mary's if you are making any charitable provisions. The care we provide for local people is beyond price for those who benefit and your legacy will help us continue to provide that care. You can be assured that all funds given to St Mary’s will be spent locally and will support someone in your community.

The importance of legacies to our funding cannot be over-emphasised. They constitute one of our largest single sources of income making a massive contribution to our ability to have a positive effect on so many people's lives. Whether you have personal knowledge of the care we provide or just want to support those with a life limiting illness, you can make a real difference when you generously leave a legacy to St Mary’s.

For further information about including St Mary's Hospice in your will visit: www.stmaryshospice.org/donate/legacies.php

Pictured: Mrs Dale with nurses Mary procter, Jill Park and Fiona Macdonald, modelling their new uniforms.

Leven Valley Show their Support

2011-07-28T04:25:00.000-07:00

Inspector Kevin Spedding was banged in the stocks and pelted with water-soaked sponges in aid of St Mary’s at the popular annual fair and car boot sale hosted by the Leven Valley Support Group, which took place on June 19th and was a great success.

Leven Valley Support Group hosts this event every year, with all proceeds going to for St Mary's, which provides care for local people with life-limiting illnesses. This year’s event, on Haverthwaite playing fields, attracts hundreds of visitors for a fun-filled family day out.

The Leven Valley Support Group has once again organised a number of successful events this year for the Hospice and they have raised thousands of pounds for St Mary’s over the many years they have been working on behalf of the charity.

Members of the group presented a cheque to Zoe Guest from St Mary’s on the 22nd July at the Hospice for an amazing £7000, which has been raised during 2010-11. An absolutely fantastic achievement.

Pictured: Leven Valley Support Group Chairman Dorothy Crabtree, Secretary Marian Wilson, Michelle Farghar, Sophie Farghar and Sorrel the dog!

The Biggest Loser Raises £620!

2011-07-26T08:19:00.000-07:00

Kimberly Clark recently run their Biggest Loser – Weight Loss Challenge 2011 and raised £620 for St Mary’s Hospice. Pictured is the winner of the competition Richard Foote who lost 3 stone and 3lbs, Heather Steele who lost 3 stone and Anita Dawes, Occupational Health Officer at Kimberly Clark who presented the funds to Zoe Guest, Funding & Operations Manager at St Mary’s.

Try Sports Day 2011

2011-07-26T08:13:00.000-07:00

FREE sports were on offer throughout the day on Sunday 10th July at Lakes Leisure Ulverston. The leisure centre offered a wide range of activities free of charge on its annual Try Sports Day; and this year the event was in partnership with St Mary’s Hospice who organised a 1k and 5k fun run for all the family.

The idea behind Try Sports Day was to encourage members of the local community to try a variety of different sports on the same day, learn a few skills and maybe even consider joining a local club or regular session. It was a really good opportunity to bring friends and family and have a go at some great sports together – free of charge!

Free sports available on the day included tennis, hockey, football, cricket, rugby, aikido, cardio tennis, and ruggercise! There was also a climbing wall and on site catering provided by St Mary’s.

St Mary’s is delighted that on the day they raised over £400 from the various activities taking place.

Chris Bryant takes up a fundraising weight loss challenge!

2011-07-26T07:59:00.000-07:00

Former soldier Chris Bryant used to be a fit, healthy man, but working in the food industry has been a recipe for disaster when it comes to maintaining a fitness regime.

As a chef Chris faces temptation every day and the demanding hours of his restaurant makes exercising difficult. So the owner of the Copper Dog in Leece has chosen a slightly unconventional weight loss plan to keep him motivated. Tipping the scales at 21-stone, 1.4pounds, the challenge is to lose weight and shape up to the financial benefit of St Mary’s.

“There are two goals to this,” explains Chris. “The Copper Dog has done things in the past to raise money for Macmillan Nurses and Help for Heroes. But we decided to concentrate on home this time. Because everybody is sending money out of the area and because of the present financial situation we’re in we decided to go for St Mary’s Hospice. The second point to this is a health issue. Owning a pub and being a chef and enjoying all the wonderful things in life, I decided it’s time to get the weight down and do a good cause to raise as much as possible.”

Chris will follow a health and fitness regime over the next five months, finishing on Friday December 23. This realistic timescale will enable him to slim sensibly and work towards his goal of raising “several thousand pounds” for St Mary’s Hospice.

As part of his fundraising campaign the Copper Dog will host charity nights, including a beer and food festival on 7th October, and Chris is liaising with Furness Cricket Club and Barrow Raiders to get them involved.

Customers at the Copper Dog can also choose to donate £1 with their bill, as well as sponsoring Chris for every pound he loses.

Nuffield, in Hollywood Park, has devised a personalised training plan to help him lose weight and shape up with confidence.

The Evening Mail will be providing an update of Chris Bryant’s progress every month in Love Life.

Recycle your workplace ink cartridges and help raise funds

2011-07-26T07:04:00.000-07:00

This 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.

St Mary’s and Wise Fundraising Ltd have been working together to generate funds for the benefit of our community in South Cumbria. 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 funding 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 or email hannah@stmaryshospice.org.uk

Mayor officially opens up St Mary’s new Millom Shop

2011-07-26T05:23:00.000-07:00

The 10th shop run by St Mary’s Hospice was officially opened on Monday 18th July at 11am by the Mayor of Millom.

The launch of the shop marks St Mary’s formal entry into south Copeland. The outlet has been set up in the former Evening Mail office at 12 Wellington Street.

The new shop will raise funds to support the work of the hospice, which provides expert care and a better quality of life, totally free, for patients with life-limiting illnesses throughout south Cumbria.

Zoe Guest, St Mary’s Hospice Funding and Operations Manager, said: “We are delighted to be trading in Millom and I am extremely thankful to all our hard-working staff and volunteers who have rallied round to get the new shop up and running. We would especially like to thank Sheldon’s for their help in fitting out the shop, Tesco for support with refreshments for the official opening, the Evening Mail for donating some fittings and fixtures and the Kerb grant scheme for awarding us a grant of £293 towards our new shop front. We have been made to feel so welcome by all traders and customers and hope that the shop will become a great resource for local people.”

“I would urge everyone to pop by our fantastic new shop, meet the team and have a look through some of our high quality items. Every purchase or item donated to the shop will help support St Mary’s.”

The charity already runs seven charity shops, a furniture warehouse and a gift shop at their Ford Park base.

Anyone who would like to donate goods to the shop, or volunteer time to staff the shop, is asked to contact retail leader Emma Athersmith on 01229 580305.

Summer Charity Party raises over £6000

2011-07-26T03:29:00.000-07:00

Sue Vernon and friends organised their second Summer Charity Party to raise funds for St Mary’s Hospice and Furness General Hospital Oncology Unit. The event took place in a marquee at Cartmel Race Course on Saturday 16th July.

Classic rock band “Steeler” entertained all who attended. They had travelled over from the Midlands to support the event and provided their services free of charge.

A highly successful raffle was held during the evening and a big thank you must go to all who provided raffle prizes. A special thank you must also go to the team from the Royal Oak who ran the bar and the caterers who attended so well to the large audience in attendance.

It is hoped that the event will have raised over £6000, which is an absolutely amazing achievement.

ST MARY'S NEXT TOP MODEL!

2011-07-20T04:37:00.000-07:00

We are looking for models, male and female, of all shapes and sizes, to take part in our fashion show on Thursday 18th August 2011 at The Nines, Barrow in Furness.

Models will perform on the catwalk in front of an audience, wearing clothing collections from the St Mary’s shops and Debenhams. Models will be pampered with hair styling and makeup by local salons and beauticians.

The event starts at 7.30pm but models will be expected to arrive earlier and the show may run until quite late.

Further details of the event will be released soon.

If you are interested please call Hannah or Natalie on 01229 580305 or email events@stmaryshospice.org.uk

Leven Valley Summer Fair

2011-07-19T06:01:00.000-07:00

Inspector Kevin Spedding was banged in the stocks and pelted with water-soaked sponges in aid of St Mary’s at the popular annual fair and car boot sale hosted by the Leven Valley Support Group, which took place on June 19th and was a great success.

The event, on Haverthwaite playing fields, attracts hundreds of visitors for a fun-filled family day out.

Insp Spedding, who is responsible for policing in Ulverston and the surrounding areas said: “It was an excellent day and all a good example of community officers getting involved.”

After locals had grown bored of pelting him with sponges, a group of local children had a whip-round and managed to raise £50 to pour three buckets of water over him.

The Leven Valley Support Group has raised thousands of pounds for St Mary’s over the years and will be presenting a cheque to St Mary’s staff for funds raised during 2010-11 on the 22nd July.

Thank you to Ready Steady Go Scooter Club!

2011-07-19T03:29:00.000-07:00

We would like to thank Ready Steady Go Scooter Club for raising a brilliant £250 at their recent Northern Soul & Motown Night which took place on 4th July at Furness Cricket Club, Barrow-in-Furness.

Pictured: Members of the club present a cheque to Zoe Guest of St Mary's Hospice.

Band on the Terrace

2011-07-19T02:46:00.000-07:00

The sun shone during the afternoon of the 29th June when the South Cumbria Retirement Brass band came to play on the terrace at the Orangery cafe. All who attended enjoyed an hour of wonderful music while sipping tea and part-taking in light refreshments from the cafe.

During the afternoon we are delighted to announce that we raised over £100 in donations. All at St Mary’s would like to thank the band so much for giving up their free time to come and play for patients and visitors. It is hoped that they will be able to come again later in the year.

St Bernard's raises £281.45!

2011-07-15T06:13:00.000-07:00

We would like to thank the pupils of St Bernard's School, Barrow-in-Furness, for raising a fantastic £281.45 for St Mary's! The pupils of class 5B hosted a musical evening - 'Believe' - featuring the songs of teen heart-throb Justin Bieber. The true stars of the show were Hope Armstrong and Danielle Messenger (pictured) who organised and hosted the show.

Charity Skydive – Saturday 13th August 2011

2011-07-15T02:33:00.000-07:00

Imagine standing at the edge of an open doorway in an aircraft flying at 10,000 feet - the noise of the engines and the wind ringing in your ears with only the outline of distant fields below. Now imagine leaning forward out of that doorway and letting go - falling forward into the clouds, diving down through the air as you start freefalling at over 120mph! Then imagine the peace and quiet as the canopy opens, the steering toggles come down either side of you and you begin a tranquil parachute descent from a mile up in the air, steering yourself back down to the centre of the drop zone below. Imagine being able to do this for FREE whilst harnessed to a professional freefall parachute instructor and at the same time being able to help St Mary's! Stop imagining, it's real and it's happening all the time and you can be part of it...

We are looking for people from all over the country to make a sponsored 10,000 feet freefall parachute jump on our behalf and in return we are willing to pay for it! All we ask is that you raise £350 in sponsorship money in order for you to jump for free and in turn we will receive an average donation of £135. In addition to this, every extra pound that you raise over the minimum comes straight to the hospice.

The Skydive will take place on Saturday 13th August at the North West Parachute Jump Centre, Cark Airfield, Flookburgh.

For further information or a registration pack please contact Hannah on 01229 580305 or email events@stmaryshospice.org.uk. Registration packs are also available to download from www.stmaryshospice.org

Please note that there are limited places so don’t delay in sending your booking form off. Skydiving is a weather dependent activity so the pre-arranged date of your jump may be subject to change.

Carnival Glows in Summer Sunshine

2011-07-05T03:26:00.000-07:00

Thousands of people lined the sun-soaked pavements to watch the Ulverston carnival on Saturday 2nd July. A burst of bright colours and music signalled the start of the parade, which featured more than 100 different floats, bands, dance troupes and decorated vehicles, from Ford Park.

Clog dancers, a fiddle-player and Ulverston Town Band were just some of the carnival participants getting the party atmosphere going and it was alive and kicking as revellers began dancing alongside those taking part in the parade. The usual array of colourful costumes from dancers could be seen, along with Ulverstonian hallmarks the Sons of the Desert, members of the Laurel and Hardy fan club.

After the procession made its way through packed town centre streets, it finished in Ford Park, where a gala got underway. Swarms of families descended on the park all day to enjoy fairground rides, stalls and the dancing competitions.

Zoe Guest, Funding & Operations Manager, who took part in the parade, said: “It was a lovely summer’s day, and the town centre was packed. It is hoped that we will have raised lots of money for St Mary’s, which is this year’s chosen charity for the event. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I thought the whole day went really well and everybody seemed to enjoy themselves.”

In a show of true carnival spirit, Ulverston Mayor, Councillor Pat Jones took to the stocks for a soaking in the town square before the parade kicked off. Other local dignitaries, including Reverend Alan Bing of Ulverston Parish Church and Mr Spours were also pelted with wet sponges in the name of fun, raising £1,850 for charity in just 30 minutes.

Sunflower Cupcakes help raise a smile :)

2011-07-05T03:17:00.000-07:00

Two years ago in Ulverston, Windy Ash Cupcakes was set up. The cottage business had the sole intention of providing delicious homemade cakes using only the finest natural ingredients. They wanted to produce cakes that tasted as good as they looked.

Friends kept telling them that they should sell their cakes so in April 2009 they took the plunge. At the beginning they offered just four flavours. They now have over twenty and are still looking for new ones.

They only use organic flour, local free range eggs and unrefined sugar in their cakes with absolutely no artificial colours or flavours whatsoever!

All cakes are baked in small batches in the farmhouse kitchen and then each cake is individually hand decorated using fondant icing, buttercream, chocolate ganache and toffee toppings, which are again all homemade.

St Mary’s were delighted to have on sale sunflower cupcakes each day during Ulverston Carnival Week in The Orangery Café. The cakes were freshly prepared, delivered and donated FREE to the charity by Windy Ash.

We are delighted to announce that during the week the sale of the Windy Ash Cupcakes raised £200 for St Mary’s, which is wonderful. We are extremely grateful to Windy Ash Cupcakes for helping us to raise additional funds for St Mary’s.

Pictured: Bob Cheetham from Windy Ash Bakery with Zoe Guest from St Mary's

Cumbrian Way Walkers raise over £5000!

2011-06-29T07:39:00.000-07:00

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.

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, last September.

Following the gruelling 72-mile trek, the group was welcomed home with a champagne reception at the Crofters in Holbeck after finishing their journey on the 9th June.
Mr Hughes said: “The sense of achievement when the group arrived in Carlisle at the end of the 72-mile walk was immense. When we got to Carlisle, we all marched to the Cumbria Way cross together.”

“I went first to touch it, then everyone piled in. A few of the girls really struggled towards the end. One had a badly swollen knee. They weren’t going to give in, though. Everyone really wanted to get to the finish.”

“All 17 of us made it to the end, and although we all ended up with some sort of injury, we all soldiered on. It was quite emotional when we arrived back in Barrow. Everyone was waiting for us and they were all cheering. I think I learned that if you really want to achieve something, it is possible.”

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.

Brand new St Mary’s shop to open its doors in Millom

2011-06-29T07:25:00.000-07:00

St Mary’s will be opening a brand new shop on the 11th July at 12 Wellington Street in Millom. An official opening with light refreshments will then take place on the 18th July at 11am.

St Mary’s staff will be on hand to welcome customers into the store as the shop opens its doors at 10am.

The new St Mary’s shop will raise funds to support the work of the Hospice which provides expert care and a better quality of life, totally free, for patients with life-limiting illnesses throughout South Cumbria.

Funding & Operations Manager at St Mary’s, Zoe Guest said: “We are delighted to be announcing that we will soon be trading in Millom and I am extremely thankful to all our hard working staff and volunteers who have rallied round to get the new shop up and running. I would urge local people to pop by our fantastic new shop, meet the team and have a look through some of our high quality items. Every purchase or item donated to the shop will help support St Mary’s.”

Staff and volunteers will gratefully receive any unwanted clothing, books and bric-a-brac – and don’t forget to ask about volunteering at the shop. Please call Retail Leader, Emma Athersmith on 01229 580305.

Ladies Thai Evening with Celebrity Chef Ooy

2011-06-29T07:12:00.000-07:00

St Mary’s Hospice is delighted to announce that Chef Ooy, the No 1 Thai celebrity Chef in the UK will be hosting a Ladies Thai Evening on Wednesday 20th July at her restaurant in the Victoria Park Hotel in Barrow to raise funds for the Charity.

At the event, Thailand’s multi award winning queen of Oriental cooking will bring the finest cuisine of Asia to the people of Furness. All ladies who attend will be able to enjoy a true Thai experience with fruit punch on arrival, food tasting and traditional Thai dancing.

Chef Ooy is the only demo chef that does traditional Thai dancing with her Oriental dancers, she is the current CN News Cumbria Business woman of the Year, the current "Food North West" winner for Skills, current winner of SMARTA 100 Awards, she was the 2009 "O2" North West Female Entrepreneur of the Year, a gold medal winner at the 2009 BFIIN Awards for education and last year she was a runner up at the Ethnic Minority Business Forum Awards for Social Enterprise of the Year.

Chef Ooy and her team at the multi award winning educational school show the "Northern School of Asian & Oriental Cooking" has been to over 1100 schools & events in the last 5 years and has appeared before more than 500,000 people.

Tickets for the event are only £10 and are available from St Mary’s Hospice. Tel: 01229 580305. However, numbers are strictly limited and anyone wishing to attend is advised to book tickets as soon as possible.

It is hoped that lots of money will be raised for St Mary’s on the night as Chef Ooy and her dancers entertain the ladies and see her produce fantastic Asian & Oriental food.

Tour de Furness Fun

2011-06-29T07:07:00.000-07:00

FREE SPORTS FOR ALL AGES!

2011-06-29T06:59:00.000-07:00

FREE sports will be on offer throughout the day on Sunday 10th July at lakes leisure Ulverston. The leisure centre is offering a wide range of activities free of charge on its annual Try Sports Day; this year the event is in partnership with St Mary’s Hospice who will be providing some great new activities and events to make Try Sports 2011 the best yet!

The idea behind Try Sports day is to encourage members of the local community to try a variety of different sports on the same day, learn a few skills and maybe even consider joining a local club or regular session. It is a really good chance to bring friends and family and have a go at some great sports together – free of charge!

Free sports available on the day include tennis, hockey, football, cricket, rugby, aikido, cardio tennis, ruggercise and even wrestling! There will also be a climbing wall and on site catering so bring a few pounds just in case (any money taken from the catering will go towards St Mary’s Hospice). Local clubs based at lakes leisure Ulverston will also be on hand to run sessions and offer advice and tips about joining up – whatever your age or ability!

Chris Brookshaw, Assistant Operations Manager at Ulverston and Try Sports organiser is looking forward to the event this year:

“We are hoping that Try Sports 2011 will be the best yet and we are really pleased to be working in partnership with St Mary’s Hospice, a fantastic local charity. There’s going to be loads of free sports on offer, the chance to meet our local clubs and a 1k and 5k fun run so come down and join in!”

New to the event this year is the 1k and 5k St Mary’s Hospice fun run. Why not come along and have a race against your friends or relatives or just join in for fun! The runs are open to all ages and abilities and cost £5 for adults, £3 for children or £10 for a family of four. You don’t need to raise any sponsorship to enter; all proceeds will go to the hospice.

There is a full programme of activities running during the day starting from 10.00am right through until 5.00pm, no need to book in advance just grab your trainers and head down to lakes leisure Ulverston…

For more information about Try Sports Day 2011 contact the centre on 01229 584110 or visit the website www.lakesleisure.org.uk/ulverston

Lakes Road Club 3 Lakes Summer Tour

2011-06-29T02:22:00.000-07:00

This summer Ulverston Victoria High School teacher Stuart Emms, and a few friends from Lakes Road Club, are cycling from Lake Windermere (the biggest lake in England) to Lake Garda (the biggest lake in Italy). On the way, just for good measure, the cyclists intend to call in at the biggest lake in Germany - Bodensee. The group will set off on 23rd July 2011.

Why would he do this you ask? To support your local Hospice and you can help. You can support St Mary's Hospice by guessing the kilometres the group will ride in total from Windermere to Lake Garda. It is only £1 per guess and you can have as many guesses as you like. There is a £100 cash prize for the person who guesses correctly, failing that the nearest guess. In the event of a tie the winner will be drawn from a 'hat'.

You can enter by filling in your guess, name and a contact number at:
- Ulverston Victoria High School Reception
- St Mary's Hospice Shops: Ulverston, Dalton, Barrow & Grange
- The Orangery Cafe, St Mary's Hospice
- Top Mark, Greengate Street, Barrow in Furness
- DC Cycles, Upper Brook Street, Ulverston
- Contact Mr Emms at Ulverston Victoria High School

All proceeds will go to St Mary's Hospice.

Furness Building Society cooks up a delicious idea to support St Mary’s Hospice

2011-06-24T03:23:00.000-07:00

Furness Building Society staff in Ulverston are putting on their aprons and rolling up their sleeves to support St Mary’s Hospice. The team will be baking sunflower-themed cupcakes to give away to customers in a drive to support the work of the hospice and promote the St Mary’s Affinity Account, which has raised more than £840,000 for the hospice since it was launched.

In preparation for the’ big bake the Ulverston branch staff will be attending a master class in how to make the best cupcakes run by catering students at Ulverston Victoria High School.

‘Sunflower Week’ at the branch starts on Monday June 27th and will run through to Ulverston Carnival on Saturday 2nd July, when the building society staff will be swapping their aprons for collecting buckets to support St Mary’s who are the main charity for the carnival.

During the week the branch in New Market Street will host a display for St Mary’s Hospice (for which the sunflower is a signature emblem) and will be encouraging visitors to the branch to consider opening a St Mary’s Hospice Affinity Account which earns a payment from the Society’s own funds based on the total balances in all of the accounts. Savers also get a better return on their money because the interest is calculated on the total balance in all of the accounts, and so qualifies for a higher rate of return.

In addition, the Hospice will have on sale sunflower cupcakes during sunflower week in The Orangery Café. The cupcakes will be donated by Windy Ash Cupcakes in Ulverston who will be supplying cupcakes each day freshly baked to their own exclusive recipe.

Zoe Guest, Funding & Operations Manager for the Hospice, said “We are delighted with the support from Furness Building Society. The Affinity Account is a major fund-raiser for the Hospice and the special sunflower week is the perfect build up to the Carnival. We are also extremely grateful to Windy Ash Cupcakes for supplying some of their own delicious cakes to help us raise additional funds in our Orangery Café.”

For further information about the Furness Building Society Affinity Account scheme visit: http://www.furnessbs.co.uk/savings/affinity/

Pictured: Bob Cheetham from Windy Ash Bakery with Zoe Guest from St Mary's, Furness Building Society staff show off their baking skills

Carol Klein sings praises of Holker Garden Festival

2011-06-07T02:45:00.000-07:00

Holker Garden Festival was once again a sign that summer had arrived in South Cumbria.

Thousands of people made the most of Friday and Saturday’s glorious weather and flocked to the annual gardening festival. The three-day event, hosted by the Cavendish family and sponsored by the North-West Evening Mail, is a celebration of stunning show gardens, local food and produce, and traditional skills.

The glorious sunshine made it perfect ice cream weather for festival-goers who descended for the perfect blend of horticultural celebration and family fun. Tents such as Made in Cumbria showcased the best of local produce, while show gardens and stalls kept browsers busy. Entertainment in the arena, which included horse-riding show Stallions of Substance and Terrier Racing, delighted the crowds who perched on haystacks in the seating area.

And the festival’s biggest fan this year came in the form of celebrity guest, BBC Gardeners’ World presenter Carol Klein. Carol was also guest of honour at last year’s event. Her enthusiasm for the event was infectious as she greeted visitors, posed for pictures, marvelled at the displays and perused the stalls.

She said: “I had such a brilliant time last year I brought my husband this year, I felt that he should not miss out because it is marvellous.

“How do they organise this weather? It is a beautiful show and it deserves it, it is a very joyous sort of occasion.

“It was my first time last year and I was so delighted to be asked back again. It’s so friendly and completely laid-back."

Carol also attended an auction to raise funds for St Mary’s Hospice. Once again very kindly hosted by Lord & Lady Cavendish and this year once again led by experienced auctioneer Mr Henry Bowring. The auction was a great success and raised £1990 for the Hospice.

Over the weekend St Mary’s was delighted to raise an amazing £5928.16 in total, and a big thank you goes out to everybody who supported St Mary’s throughout the weekend, provided auction prizes and contributed to help us raise such a magnificent total. The volunteer time provided to support this event was greatly appreciated.

Charity Concert presented by Seventh-day Adventist Church

2011-06-07T02:37:00.000-07:00

The Dalton Seventh-day Adventist Church held a concert on Saturday the 7th May. Singers from the Midlands, Manchester and Preston sang gospel songs to the appreciation and enjoyment of an audience of local people and many who had travelled in for the occasion.

A collection was taken and the proceeds, some £354 was collected and presented to St Mary's Hospice.

Hill of an effort to raise Hospice funds

2011-06-01T01:58:00.000-07:00

Joining forces to raise much-needed cash for St Mary’s Hospice, the Lakes Road Club and Barrow Central Wheelers have organised a series of cycling hill-climb races.

The first of the four races took place on Thursday night, with more than 30 riders taking part in the 1.6-mile Grizebeck Hill challenge.

Spectators braved the gusting winds to watch the cyclists whizz past.

Howard Lindow, event organiser, said: “The two clubs had wanted to do hill-climb racing for some time and we thought we may as well raise some money for the hospice at the same time. We managed to raise £60 for the hospice on the night.

“The weather stayed fine and we had plenty of supporters both on the roadside and in helping set up the race.”

"We had a load of volunteers turn up to assist and personally I think there was a real buzz about the evening. So Thank you all for your assistance so far and roll on the next climb at Gamswell."

Topmark Cycles, DC Cycles, Gill Cycles, The Ulverston Brewing Company and the Stone Workshop have all provided prizes for the winning cyclists.

There will be four categories in each race – 15 to 18-year-old juniors, men, women and over 45s.

For a run-down of the hill-climb series of races, visit the website at www.lakesroadclub.org.uk/hillclimbreports.php

Martyn Uttley was present taking photographs of the rather ashen-coloured riders as they crested the hill, and he'll be making these available through his website with all profits going to St Mary's: www.martynuttleyphotography.co.uk

Charity Casino Night raises £1400!

2011-06-01T01:53:00.000-07:00

On Saturday 15th January 2011, Steve and Diane Hogan hosted a charity casino night at The Strawberry Hotel, Barrow-in-Furness. The event, raised £1,400, which has been shared equally between St Mary’s Hospice and The David Cole Training Fund for Oncology Nurses at Furness General Hospital.

Steve and Diane said they were delighted with the number of people who attended the event and by the generosity of everyone who donated raffle prizes and gave up their time to support the evening.

Urswick Charity Concert raises £3685!

2011-06-01T01:40:00.000-07:00

Motivated by the loss of two friends, Brian Butterfield and Jimmy Spooner, local villagers organised a special concert at the Coot on the Tarn, Great Urswick on Friday 6th May 2011. The objective of the concert was to raise money for St Mary`s Hospice in appreciation for the superb care they have provided to all of the residents of Urswick and surrounding areas over recent years.

The concert, which featured Barrow Male Voice Choir, Jessika Gillam (saxophonist), Jessi Conway and Christopher Faulkner, was compared by John Mario. The Concert, was a resounding success and raised an amazing £3685.00.

The Village Organisers Damian Gorman, George Elwood, Edward Woodend and Martin Lloyd would sincerely like to thank everyone who supported the Concert. Special thanks go to all the local businesses and individuals (who are too numerous to mention individually), for providing sponsorship, donations and sales outlets.

Zoe Guest from St Mary’s Hospice said “St Mary’s relies heavily on the support of the local community and we cannot thank the organisers of the charity concert enough for all their hard work. To raise such a fantastic amount of money for the Hospice is greatly appreciated.”

Walk to Remember 2011 raises £46000!

2011-05-25T03:02:00.000-07:00

This year 626 women came together to raise an estimated £46000 at our fifth annual St Mary’s Hospice - Walk to Remember on Friday 20th May. Hundreds of ladies dressed in pink packed into Barrow’s Asda car park before forming an eye-catching parade through the streets of Barrow to support St Mary’s.

Whether it was their first time or their fifth, every woman who tackled the seven-and-a-half-mile route was walking to remember a special someone and to help support the work of the charity.

Walkers enjoyed a five-minute warm-up courtesy of local gym instructor Kelly Brook from Nuffield Health, Barrow, and Dalton Leisure Centre.

This year the walkers were set on their way by Barrow deputy mayor, Councillor Wendy Maddox, just after 10pm. From there it was up and away past Barrow AFC’s Holker Street football ground and up Cemetery Hill towards Thorncliffe Road.

As far as the eye could see, a swarm of matching pink T-shirts flashing bunny ears, deely-boppers and crowns wove through the streets of Barrow, as groups of friends, family and colleagues tackled the two-to-three-hour walk together.

One brave woman taking part was Ami Beckman, 35, who was walking in memory of her husband, David, who died in March of a brain tumour. Still struggling to come to terms with the loss of her beloved husband she, Daisy the dog and 13 others managed to raise more than £1700 for the hospice which provided essential care in the home during the final few weeks of David’s life.

Speaking just before the walk, after a long drive from her home in Sunderland, the former Barrow woman said: “I just wanted to give something back to say thank you so much for looking after him.”

“This walk is to remember David. I’ll never forget him. It is also to give something back to the nurses, who are just so committed to what they do.”

“Taking part in the Walk to Remember is just so important in raising awareness and recognition of the great work the hospice does for so many people and the commitment of all the staff.”

Zoe Guest, fundraising and operations manager at St Mary’s Hospice, said: “On behalf of the fundraising team at St Mary’s Hospice, I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who took part, marshalled, and helped with making arrangements or registration of walkers at our Walk to Remember. We were delighted that we had 626 ladies taking part and we appreciate so much all the support that we received from everyone involved and the many people who sponsored them.”

“Without the support of the community of Furness and South Lakes we wouldn’t be able to help local people who require our care. A special thank you must go to Asda Barrow for all their support prior to the event and on the night, Paul Beddall of Beddall’s newsagents, who provided all the Mars bars for participants, BAE First Aiders, Bob Clegg, the team from Furness Peninsulas Rotary and the many other volunteers who came to help marshal at the event and keep everyone safe, as well as the Evening Mail and The Bay Radio, who promoted the event on our behalf, without any of whom it wouldn’t have been possible.

“We look forward to seeing everyone again in 2012.”

Thank you to BAE Systems Charity Quiz Team

2011-05-24T03:13:00.000-07:00

We would like to thank Karen Ashdown and Robert Taylor for presenting £1362 to St Mary's Hospice on behalf of the BAE Systems Charity Quiz Team. The funds were raised at the Astute Charity Quiz and raffle event held in April. The funds raised will contribute towards specialist equipment to be purchased for the In-patient unit at St Mary's Hospice.

Hospice Hillclimb Series starts 26th May

2011-05-24T02:56:00.000-07:00

The Lakes Road Club and Barrow Central Wheelers have joined forces with five local businesses to organise a series of cycling hill climb races throughout the summer to raise funds for St Mary’s Hospice.

Topmark Cycles, DC Cycles, Gill Cycles, The Ulverston Brewing company and the Stone Workshop have all provided prizes for the winning cyclists throughout the series of hill climbs. The organisers hope to get lots of amateur cyclists coming forward and taking part with the aim of promoting local clubs and getting more cyclists to get involved while raising money for a local charity.

The hospice hill-climb series kicks off at 6:30pm on Thursday 26th May, with the Topmark sponsored 1.6mile race up Grizebeck hill. Riders will blast up the hill from Grizebeck village side to Burlington slate with prizes available for the first to cross the line in 4 categories. Juniors (15-18 year olds),Men’s, Women’s, and Veterans (45+ years).

Spectators are welcome and any riders interested in having a go should turn up with £2 half an hour before the start to register. The races are being run under the rules of the Cycling time trials organisation and juniors will need a signed parental consent form.

For More information visit:
www.lakesroadclub.org.uk
www.barrowcentralwhs.org.uk

The photograph shows from L-R, Paul Swan of the Ulverston Brewing company, David Drysdale of DC cycles, David Watson of Gill cycles, Sue Lewis RGN at St Marys hospice, Zoe Guest of St Marys hospice, Howard Lindow of the Lakes Road Club and Glenn Rhodes of the Barrow Central Wheelers.

Golf Day Success!

2011-05-20T07:52:00.000-07:00

St Mary's Hospice would like to thank everyone who supported their Golf day at Ulverston Golf Club on Thursday 19th May. The grand total raised during the day was a fantastic £3700!

Funding & Operations Manager, Zoe Guest said, "A big thank you goes to the committee, caterers and staff at Ulverston Golf Club for hosting the event on behalf of the charity and helping throughout the day. To everyone who donated prizes for the competition winners – Best of Barrow & Furness, St Andrews Links Trust, Classic Drinks, Thwaites, and Cumbria Crystal. To all those companies who provided donations for the auction, sponsored a tee, provided refreshments or entered a team. We are extremely grateful for all your support.

The weather was fantastic and everyone who took part had a great day. To raise such a large sum of money is wonderful.”

It is hoped that he event could be repeated in 2012. Keep updated with our upcoming fundraising events calendar.

Thank you Barrow WI

2011-05-19T07:16:00.000-07:00

A big thank you goes out to Barrow Women's Institute who raised a wonderful £200 for St Mary's Hospice at their WI Open Evening in April.

Thank you to CN Group Charitable Trust

2011-05-19T05:56:00.000-07:00

The staff and patients of St Mary's Hospice would like to thank the CN Group Charitable Trust for their very generous donation of £400.

Speaking on behalf of St Mary's, Zoe Guest, Funding & Operations Manage said, "We are extremely grateful that the CN Group Charitable Trust has chosen to support us. This kind donation will help us to continue providing palliative and supportive care for people with advanced and end of life conditions in Furness and the South Lakes area."

Pictured: The cheque was presented by Jonathon Lee, Editor of the Evening Mail, to Julie Wright, RN St Mary's Hospice.

Classmates meet to raise funds after 25 years

2011-05-19T04:03:00.000-07:00

On 6th May at Ulverston Sports Club, former pupils of Ulverston Victoria High School attended a school reunion after 25 years.

Organiser Lisa Dermody decided that it was about time that the classmates of 1986 got together for a good knees up whilst kindly donating all proceeds to St Mary's Hospice. The event raised a fantastic £160.

Lisa said, "I received services from St Mary's after my own cancer diagnosis. We wanted to say thank you for the wonderful care and support that they provide. We would also like to thank all who contributed to the event. It was a brilliant night and I can't wait to start planning my next event!"

Pictured: Organiser Lisa Dermody and classmate Maf Gibbons presenting £160 to Zoe Guest, St Mary's Funding & Operations Manager.

Team of family & friends to walk Cumbria Way

2011-05-18T04:13:00.000-07:00

On June 5th Martin Hughes and his team of 16 family members and friends will begin walking the Cumbria Way to raise as much money as they can for St Mary's Hospice.

The team will be walking in memory of Martin's late wife Linda who sadly passed away last September. (Pictured: Linda at Skelwith Bridge).

Martin said: "I lost my wonderful wife Linda to ovarian cancer last September. She was not just a loving wife, mother, sister and daughter but a very special friend to many. Her bravery throughout her illness will always give me strength in carrying on without her. Linda's final weeks were spent in St Marys Hospice in Ulverston so I wanted to raise funds for the hospice and have helped to arrange the Cumbria Way walk we will be doing in June."

The team will begin their 72 mile trek bright and early on the 5th June from the starting point sculpture in Ulverston. They aim to arrive at Carlisle Castle on June 9th. Martin said: "Linda loved the lake district so this will be a fitting way to raise much needed funds for the Hospice."

We wish the team the very best of luck and hope that the weather stays dry!

If you would like to sponsor the team to help raise funds for St Mary's Hospice visit their Justigiving fundraising page.

Martin would like to thank Turnstone Consultancy of Barrow who will supply daily pack up lunches for all of the walkers and Hertel Electrical Contractors from Sellafield who will supply a van to transport camping equipment from site to site.

Premier Tiles awarded Gold Corporate Membership

2011-05-18T03:44:00.000-07:00

Sue McGraw, Hospice Director was delighted to present Dave Staunton owner of Premier Tiles with a Gold Corporate Membership certificate on Friday 13th May. The certificate was awarded to the company in recognition for raising £500 for St Mary’s at a fun day organised by Dave and the team to accompany the grand opening of The Premier Times Natural Stone Showroom on Sunday 27th March. Premier Tiles also donated 5% of all sales on the day to St Mary’s Hospice.

Organisers were delighted that the event raised over £500 for St Mary’s and a big thank you goes to all how supported the event and all the businesses who provided raffle prizes.

Our Fantastic Support

2011-05-12T03:06:00.000-07:00

We would like to say a big thank you to Furness Cancer Support Group who kindly donated £500 to the St Mary's Hospice at Home service.

The Furness Breast Cancer Support Group aims to provide support for people whose lives have been affected by breast cancer including patients, carers, families, friends, the bereaved and anyone requiring information.

Not all problems are medical and some people don't always feel like talking to the doctor. It sometimes helps to share worries with someone who may have been through the same. The group sessions offer advice and support in a friendly environment so that people should not feel isolated or alone.

The ladies also work tirelessly to raise money for the charity and we greatly appreciate their support.

If you would like further information about the group meetings please contact Dorothy Dawes on 01229 822306 or Margaret Watkins on 01229 822470.

Pictured from left, Joan Harrison, Ethnie Powell, Hospice at Home Coordinator Angela Mason, Senior Healthcare Assistant Angela Lafferty, Brenda Broadfoot, Anne Beattie.

Talent Spotters come to Ulverston

2011-05-11T07:06:00.000-07:00

Talentspotters are giving you the opportunity to realise your dreams. Therefore, if you are one of Britain’s hidden talents then allow them to spot you and help you stage your dream.

They are hosting a number of high profile talent shows throughout Britain of which you could be a major part. Locally they will be hosting a show at the Coronation Hall, Ulverston on 23rd July. Therefore, if your ambition is to perform in front of a large audience, at a premium venue and experience the lights, the atmosphere and the excitement then you definitely need to audition. This will be your chance to showcase your talent to a large audience and possibly be spotted by industry experts and agents.

Talentspotters audition process gives hopefuls the opportunity to perform to a panel of experienced adjudicators. This will take place at the Coronation Hall on Sunday 22nd May. However, you must apply. For further information and to download entry forms then check out the website www.talent-spotters.co.uk

You will be allotted a time-slot so it is crucial you endeavour to showcase your best highlights. Only 10 -20 acts will be chosen for the Show. Adjudicators may require you to do another performance at the end of the day; however, if not asked this does not mean you have not been chosen. A successful response will result in your act securing a vital spot on the Talentspotters elite performance.

The actual Show itself gives a variety of acts a rare opportunity to air their talent to a live audience that includes agents and contacts in the entertainment industry.
Just Dream and Believe and you can achieve success and possibly further your career by allowing Talentspotters to Stage Your Dream!

The judges are singers, dancers, musicians, producers and choreographers in their own rite. Their experience includes working throughout the UK and Internationally producing and choreographing Theatre Headliner Shows, TV appearances, Cruise ships, and performing alongside Top names in the music and entertainment industry. All of this has put them in contact with an extensive amount of agents.

Also, you will be raising money for St Mary’s Hospice that may well be close to your heart. Talentspotters will be donating part of the proceeds to St Mary’s; therefore your performance will count in more ways than one.

Fire Walkers Needed!

2011-05-03T06:29:00.000-07:00

The Rotary Club of Furness Peninsula is organising a Charity Fire walk on 30th September 2011 at Chetwynde School in Barrow in Furness.

They are now recruiting participants to walk across red hot coals for good causes (Charities supported include St Mary’s Hospice, Self Harm Awareness Furness Area, The Alztheimers Society & Help For Heroes)

Why walk on a bed of red hot coals burning at temperatures of over 1200 degrees Fahrenheit? We hear you asking yourself...

As well as raising money for good causes, for many people successfully completing an activity that appears impossible has a real 'wow' factor. Fire walking can serve as a metaphor for achievement in business or in life, stretching the boundaries of your comfort zone, challenging your beliefs, facing your fears, listening to your inner guidance, crossing into a new chapter of your career or life. Many people experience an ‘Aha!’ moment – “If I can do this, what else can I achieve?”

If you are interested in participating or just want to find out more give Ian Petty a call on 07858 449702 or visit www.aha-success.com/workshops/firewalk300911.htm

Run The Virgin London Marathon 2012 for St Mary's!

2011-05-03T05:55:00.000-07:00

Be a part of one the most popular sporting events and run through many famous London districts and past many landmarks, including the Cutty Sark and the Tower of London. Also, be proud to know that your personal challenge can help raise vital funds for a local charity, with sponsorship being used to help provide care to adults with life-limiting illnesses.

Despite the ballot now being closed, Help the Hospices still has plenty of charity places available. For the chance to join their large and supportive marathon team you can apply online now. Places will be allocated later in the year.

When you join the Help the Hospices team you will receive all the support you need to make your marathon experience unforgettable. You can also choose to raise your sponsorship for your local hospice.

"I will always remember how my legs miraculously came back to life when I saw the cheering point at mile 25! An incredible memory. You made me feel special and part of a team"

For further information please visit the Help the Hospices website.