Trick or Treat… Halloween Fun with Divine Diva Fancy Dress

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Posted on : 07-11-2013 | By : admin | In : News

Trick or Treat… this evening was definitely a treat. Christina and Jason Hutson from Divine Diva Fancy Dress in Winslow High Street hosted a Halloween fundraising event for the charity ‘Alec’s Angels’ at The Bell Hotel, Winslow. It was a great evening with a witchy tombola, spooky cake stools and hot food, marshmallows dipped in a chocolate fountain, served by a giant pumpkin, and many more. To make the evening go with a swing, Hot Trax provided the disco, and the younsters boogied away in their fantastic Halloween costumes.

Photoshoot Magazine with The Werewolf Divine Diva Fancy Dress

The grotto there was not a place for the faint hearted to enter and caused more than one adult to scream at the sight of the terrifying werewolf who inhabited it. He sat in his cage, crunching on bones, before charging at the bars and attempting to grab his audience. The kids absolutely loved it!

Asked why a Halloween event, Christina said that parents coming into their shop all year said it would be nice to have such a party in the town. As she knows Alec’s family, she and Jason decided to host the party for their charity. It was a great success and even the day after people were stopping her in the street and donating more money, the grand total making £723, at the last count. This is enough, according to Brian Jarvis from the charity, to send 30 children diagnosed with cancer, for a wicked day out at Oxford Go Karting Track. He thanks all those good folk who gave up their time to host stalls, play music and bake cakes for the event.     by Jan Davidson

Enjoy our images taken by Jane Kelly from PHOTOSHOOT Magazine.  If you wish to purchase any prints @ £5.00 (10×7) or digital images @ £3 (High Res JPG). ALL proceeds go towards Alec’s Angels. Please contact:  editor@photoshootmagazine.

Open Water Swim

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Posted on : 09-10-2013 | By : admin | In : News

A Big Thank You to Naomi Hunt

 

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On Sunday 31st August 2013, Naomi Hunt from Winslow & over 3,000 amateur swimmers took part in an open water challenge as part of the Great London Swim. Swimmers in wetsuits completed a one mile (1.6km) course for the event, while raising money for their chosen charities.

Naomi appreciated the support of the Alec’s Angels volunteers and committee members who came to show their support during the event, Which helped to keep her motivated. Please check out her just giving page and show your support.

http://www.justgiving.com/Naomi-Hunt

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Help to make this Christmas even more special

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Posted on : 29-09-2013 | By : admin | In : News

Dear Alec’s Angels Supporter’s:

We have been lucky enough to be selected for Lloyds Community Fund 2013 but we need your VOTE!!   We want to deliver as many presents to the Kamran Jabble Children’s Cancer Ward at Oxford Radcliffe with the funding.

Votes can be cast online, in our Lloyds branches and by SMS text message from 23 September to 1 November 2013.

ONLINE VOTING

Click the link www.lloydsbank.com/communityfund

In the search bar either type Alec’s Angels or Buckingham for our profile on the Community Fund website then follow the simple instructions.

IN YOUR LOCAL LLOYDS BRANCH:

Alec’s Angels is being promoted in these local Lloyd’s branches, pop in and VOTE:

* Aylesbury Gatehouse
* Aylesbury Market Square
* Buckingham
* Wendover

SMS TEXT MESSAGE VOTING

Voters please text the word VOTE and “PZLA” to 61119.
This will be charged at your local rate

 

 

Oliver’s Story

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Posted on : 13-09-2013 | By : admin | In : News

Oliver Smith

Oliver Smith is a 5 year old boy who was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma in 2009 at the very young age of 1.   We started fundraising on his actual 5th birthday.

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Natalie who is Oliver’s mum, noticed that he was holding things very near to his face so he could see them. She made several GP visits and was told there was nothing wrong with him. Like any mother would, she changed her GP and went for a second opinion where they sent him for many tests and found 5 Tumours.

He has endured lots of Chemotherapy, which has now left him with one tumour, but unfortunately that last tumour is pushing on his optical nerve and has left him registered blind. He is totally blind in his left eye and only has 10% vision in his right, he does walk with a white cane. But Natalie has told us that Oliver copes with this amazingly well for someone so young.

We here at Alec’s Angels are going to do as much as possible to make some special request come true i.e: Decorating Oliver’s play room to adjust to his needs now (super heros style) and to make some adjustments to his garden to make it safe and more enjoyable for him to play out there.

If there is any way that you may be able to help in fundraising for Oliver, could you please contact the Harold Wood Office on: 01708 345268 or email; lisa@alecsangels.co.uk

Update…

Thanking everybody who has taken part in the teddy bear raffle or 50/50 game to raise funds for Oliver’s Appeal. This is what you helped to achieve. All the presents of Oliver’s Christmas list

 

A really special thank you to ADS for decorating Oliver’s playroom in the Superhero fashion he wanted ‘Superman’  and also supplied three extra special gifts from Olivers Christmas list.

A special thanks to Barry, Paul, Brian, Terry, Alan and all at BPC Interiors for the dishwasher so that mum can know sterilise all of Oliver’s equipment easily.

Special thanks to Squibbs Pamper Hamper for the beautiful hamper they send to Oliver’s mum.

The garden will be completed after christmas when the weather is better.

Thank you x

PJ’s Night

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Posted on : 13-09-2013 | By : admin | In : News

Our Event on Saturday night at The Sun Public House, was a first for the Romford Office, and was very successful, and that was because of the kind generosity by the staff and customers, and the people who purchased the raffle tickets prior to the event. A very very big thank you has to go to Sue and Esther from The Sun for laying on 2 fantastic singers, and a great d.j.

What made the night complete was the young boy P.J. from Dagenham who we have been fund raising for the last 6 weeks, was able to leave the UCH hospital, Euston, London, where he is receiving treatment to collect his presents. Alec’s Angels raised funds to buy him a top of the range I Pad, and all the accessories needed. (photos attached).

As a small charity we think it’s very important that normal working class people who are so kind and generous should see where their money is being used, our website is www.alecsangels.co.uk [1]. Our address is Alec’s Angels, 63 Athelstan Road, Romford, Essex, RM3 0QD, Tel no: 01708 345268

Lisa Sherrin

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A special thanks to Karlson Workplace Technology for their generous support.

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Update from Helen & Douglas House

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Posted on : 13-09-2013 | By : admin | In : News

Dear all,

I just thought I’d update you on the Home Volunteer Project, which helps families with practical & friendly support in their homes, enabling them to concentrate on the important things.

We currently have 6 specially trained volunteers who are helping families in their homes. 10 more are either being currently matched with a family or receiving training. 2 specifically take care of gardens and a building company has donated 12 days a year to help with repairs & maintenance etc.

 We just wouldn’t be able to help as many families as we do without your wonderful support in Alec’s memory.  It really means so much to them.

Helen & Douglas House

Helen & Douglas House

 

 

The Three Peaks Challenge 2013

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Posted on : 13-09-2013 | By : admin | In : News

THE THREE PEAKS CHALLENGE

Could you be fit enough to climb the highest point’s in Scotland (Ben Nevis), England (Scafell Pike) and Wales (Snowdonia) all within 24 hours?.

The plan is to organise a team (or team’s) to meet this challenge in June/July 2014.

A quick overview

The most important requirement is that you are fit enough and able to manage with some sleep deprivation in order to make the attempt as ALL members of the same team have to complete within the 24 hour period for it to be validated. There is approximately 10 hours of “catch up sleep” in a minibus en route between each peak. Some of the climbing maybe in the dark. At this time there is no confirmed cost per individual but would suggest one Bed and Breakfast overnight stay on arrival at Fort William, a share of any vehicle and fuel costs a further one night Bed and Breakfast at Snowdonia ( this may be optional) at completion and of course any personal items you may need. Just to confirm there is no mountaineering (No grappling hooks or crampons required!!) it is walking uphill and back downhill.

All proceeds raised, as ever go to Alec’s Angels.

If you thing this is for you I am happy to forward any further information    Andy  07711560849 or andy@alecsangels.co.uk

Winslow Combined School Charity Rounders Match

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Posted on : 13-09-2013 | By : admin | In : News

Charity Rounders match at Winslow Combined School

Organised by Atlanta McCauley & Jade Soricelli

 ROUNDERS

Atlanta & Jade are two students at Winslow Combined School who were preparing to leave at the end of July. They decided that they wanted to raise money for Alec’s Angels after being involved at the annual ‘It’s a knockout’ event in Winslow.

They approached their head teacher, Mr Simon Rose, of the idea of having a rounders match with the year 6 children who will be leaving and the staff of the school. This was given the go ahead, as it would also be a lovely memory of their time at the School.

It happened to be on the hottest day of the year, as temperatures soared to over 30 C. But everyone coped remarkably well, with the children playing their socks off and some fine individual performances. The teachers however put up a brave fight & gave great team spirit, even though the final score was 19 rounders to 23.5 to the children.

Lovely orange cakes which were made and donated by a parent of one of the year 6 children & drinks of squash were sold and helped to raise £76.44.

A massive well done to Atlanta & Jade as the Head announced that there will now be a cup to play for every year to make this an annual event for the School.  I think the staff may well be practising at every opportunity!

PJ’s Story

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Posted on : 29-07-2013 | By : admin | In : News

Peter, or PJ as he prefers to be called, is a sixteen year old youngster from Dagenham, who is a great West Ham supporter. He lives with his mum, Kathleen, and has a sister Charlotte, and two brothers, Antony, and Ashley.  Although since March of this year, PJ has been in the University College Hospital (UCH), Euston, after he was diagnosed with having Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL).

After intense chemotherapy, PJ unfortunately contracted septicaemia and was on a life support machine for a week. This left him with muscle wastage and in a wheelchair. He is currently on a plan to rebuild his strength and it is hoped that, in time, PJ will make a full recovery from this.

However, quite understandably, at this moment in time, the youngster is very down. This was an important year for him at school, but he missed his exams and the end-of-year prom. Alec’s Angels set out to see what they could do to cheer up PJ and make him ‘smile’. His sister, Charlotte, contacted the charity and said that her brother would love an iPad, so this is what Alec’s Angels is currently raising funds for. PJ loves party music, and his favourite groups are One Direction and JLS. He also likes action films, such as Spiderman and the X Men, so this new kind of ‘tablet computer’ is just the thing for him to use whilst he is recovering. Not only does Alec’s Angels plan to give PJ an iPad, but they want to provide him with all the accessories that go with it.

The Local Borough of Barking and Dagenham have been very helpful towards this family and are currently installing a new kitchen and wet-room to accommodate PJ when he returns home. There is other work needed in the house and Alec’s Angels is looking to see what it can do in this regard.

This is a wonderful help for mum Kathleen and she is very grateful, but Alec’s Angels want to do something for her personally. She has gone through the mill these last four months with watching her young lad being so poorly and it was felt that it would be nice to do something for her as well.

We give PJ, Kathleen, and the rest of the family our very best wishes for their future.

It’s A Knockout 2013

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Posted on : 24-07-2013 | By : admin | In : Uncategorized

Smile…it’s show time!

by Dr Jan Sofair, Photoshoot Magazine

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The first people who greeted me when I arrived in Winslow that Sunday morning were Kimberly and her mum, Julie Chapman. Julie is Alec’s aunt and Kim, as she likes to be known, is Alec’s cousin. That set the scene for the day. Not just the smiles and warmth that came from this lovely lady and her teenage daughter, but the fact that nearly every helper I met on that wonderful day was either related to little Alec, a friend of the family, a neighbour, a workmate of Alec’s parents, a friend of a friend, a health professional who cared for him when he became poorly, or just someone who had heard this young boy’s story and wanted to do something positive in his memory…and so it went on.

Alec Jarvis died aged 9, in March 2011. He had been diagnosed in February 2010 with an astrocytoma, a tumour in the brain stem. Despite having every treatment available, he sadly passed away the following year. Alec’s parents, Brian and Sara, took this personal tragedy and formed the charity known as Alec’s Angels. They did this in honour of their son because of the love and care that he had shown to other children suffering like him, even throughout the gruelling tests, radiotherapy and chemotherapy he was undergoing. Alec’s Angels has two main aims. The first is to make children suffering with cancer SMILE, as requested by Alec himself. The second is to support the families who, as Brian and Sara know, find some of the smaller things in life impossible to manage when dealing with childhood cancer. Alec’s Angels supports two other charities who gave them support during their son’s illness and beyond. They are Helen and Douglas House Children’s Hospice, and Clic Sargent. Details of these charities can be found on Alec’s Angels website: www.alecsangels.co.uk. In addition to its support of these charities, Alec’s Angels has also created THE SMILE FUND, which is based at the Children’s Hospital Oxford, on Kamran Ward, where Alec was treated. Its purpose is to give direct support to the medical team and their work there.

This is the second year that the charity has used Graham Fisher’s International ‘It’s a Knockout’ as the main event for its fun day in Winslow. Last year it raised over £7,000. It is hoped that this year’s event will see Alec’s Angels do equally well, if not better, despite the clouds and drizzle that threatened it all day. Helping to do this was an army of volunteers, such as Duke, a family friend and charity trustee, who set up stalls and organised the day, Mad Mel, who dyed her hair orange for the event, and Mayzee the dog, who sported an orange doggie jacket for the occasion, plus a host of relatives, like Wendy, another of Alec’s aunts. There was the information stall manned by Lena and Dick, the tombola and cake stall run by a group of lovely ladies, all volunteers like Denise, Candy, Jill, and David, plus many more, too numerous to name, some of those also being trustees to the charity. All of these good folk regularly and readily give their time and energy to raise funds to support this charity, which has grown from a tiny seed to a well-run aid organisation.

There were lots of stalls there selling goods such as the incredible sweets from Sweets Adventure (the Maltesa mountain was fantastic), beautiful plants from Laker’s Nursery, delicious doughnuts from Nan’s Doughnuts, where a cute young lad called Brandon got stuck to his mum’s fridge, rescued by his big sister Abbie. Mum Ann told of how, having lost Dominique, her own child, she wanted to be involved with Alec’s Angels. There were wonderful cakes (believe me) from Coolberry café, natural beauty products from Judy’s stall, Forever Living Products, goodies from Sue’s Cakes and Preserves, whose products looked magnificent, and Samantha and Stuart’s, Crackling Fare, a pig roast stall. The cooking smell coming from their rotisserie was hard to resist. Pegasus, the mobile bar opposite, provided the more adult refreshments, owned by a larger than life, fun character called Steve. There were giant burgers, bacon butties and chips, plus much more from Caz Bar. Caz and his cousin Mario, kindly supplied the charity workers all day with free food and refreshments to keep them going. Coffee Stop, next door, sold the most delicious coffees, teas and cakes from this family run, great little mobile café. There was Hamzah, selling jewellery and other pretty trinkets, loads of great books on the Usbourne Books stall, and Xanthe Crafts, who displayed the most amazing homemade items. As well as these, the event had some unusual kinds of stalls, such as the Move Better Fitness Academy, who presented their sport’s mats, designed to improve the fitness of adults and kiddies. Then there was a stall that worked with coloured sand, making key rings and other items, which was fascinating to watch, and of course, a lady face painter called Nicki from Giggle Pots, whose designs were just incredible.

There was ice cream from Astore and Sons and a children’s big wheel ride, plus a massive bouncy castle and bouncy slides from CSB Roadshow. Mini Racing 8 Lane Scalextric provided folks with the excitement of racing cars around a giant track…great fun! All stall holders gave a percentage of their takings on the day to the charity.

Supporting the event was the services from Critical Care, whose boss, Tony, provided free for the event. Debbie and Rachel from this organisation were there to give medical assistance and health and safety cover. The police and the Winslow fire brigade turned out to support the charity day, and Winslow Scouts did a magnificent job with their clay pigeon shooting ‘experience’. Heart Fm Radio also sent two lovely ladies to take some photographs and promote the charity on their website.

I met some great youngsters at the event as well. There was 15 year old Amy and Scarlet, who came to help out for the day and Seb and his friends, who entered (and won) the kid’s ‘It’s a Knockout’ challenge. There was also a £58 donation given to Sara raised by footballers in Year 10, Buckingham School.

Then of course there were the adult contestants who lined up to compete in the ‘It’s a Knockout’ arena. These wonderful (and I have to say) virile and very handsome men, and beautiful, athletic women gave up their Sunday to jump over hurdles, climb giant obstacles and fall off of them, get soaked with water and soapsuds and generally make complete fools of themselves for our entertainment. There were eight teams altogether. Snow White turned up with her seven dwarfs, all sporting green beards and hats (not Snow White of course – she wore a tiger jumpsuit; naturally), and their mascots, Annabel, Danielle and Ele. The Plumbers were a great bunch of lads, although under pressure they admitted they were not all plumbers. Team Envirocab, who were supported by Ethical cabs and Your IT Works were confident of winning as they had trained very hard, and the Churchill Champions, staff from the Oxford hospital who treated Alec, described themselves as fit, fantastic, ridiculously good looking and raring to go. There was the Green Machine (or Green Light Autos; they could not make up their minds), who were fine specimens of men and a bevy of beautiful ladies. Their technical training regime was sleeping, eating and drinking, and bouncy castle experiences, according to Craig, their fitness instructor. He must have known what he was doing, as this team won. There was the gorgeous, all in pink, Boot’s Belles (even though one was a lad) from Boot’s pharmacy, and the home grown Alec’s Angels team, Alec’s Misfits, their motivational speaker, Duke (who unfortunately had suffered an injury and could not compete) said all knew Alec and had been formed at the last minute to contribute to the event. He described his team as amazing, fresh, zesty, light on their feet and a little crazy. Last but not least were the Ninja Turtles, all from local businesses in Buckingham. They described themselves as mature but athletic, winners and dynamic and said they liked curry quite a lot. Their training for the challenge consisted of eating arctic roll and jelly tots.

All competing teams comprised of friends, neighbours, relations, workmates, hospital staff, and just people from far and wide who wanted to do something for a great cause. They came together on a grey, cool June day and gave it their all.

Before the heavens opened up, the children’s teams lined up for ‘It’s a Knockout’ and like the adults, they too gave it their best shot. They were brilliant!

As I stood sheltering from the rain under my umbrella and watching the exhausted, wet and shivering teams collect their trophies, I felt an incredible pride. Standing in a field in a small market town in England at this event, I was proud to be a member of this community on this day, and proud to be wearing the orange shirt of Alec’s Angels. What a day, what a show!

The photography on the day was undertaken by Jane Kelly and Steve Robinson  from Photoshoot Magazine http://www.photoshootmagazine.co.uk.   Alec’s Angel charity is one of PM’s chosen organisations.