20th November 2009 - Ashington Panto Group
Ged, Julie and Faye were invited to attend the Dick Whittington Pantomime at Ashington High School. They held a raffle and sold Rachel Green´s CD and Sara Hope Foundation wristbands. The panto was fab and the cast were absolutely brilliant. We raised £220 on the night and also met some lovely people who have pledged to support the charity in 2010. Special thanks to all the members of the Ashington Panto group and to Neil King and Mick Scott for organising this very special event.
2nd November 2009 - Georgia and Jack our young fund raising heroes
Well done to Georgia Ion and Jack Harrison of Monkseaton Middle School for raising £323 for the Foundation by completing the Junior Great North Run, you are both stars.
25th October 2009 - Exciting News - Saras Hope Foundation Downloads
Today is a very special day as it marks Sara´s 25th birthday. To celebrate, the Foundation is releasing two new tracks to download (for a small donation).
The first track is a fantastic vocal piece from our special friend and Patron of the Foundation, Bill Nelson, entitled ´Rocket to the Moon´. "It´s a really happy-go-lucky little ditty". "Harks back to the most chirpy and jolly poptastic days of my 70´s career. Catchy as a catchy thing too!" - Bill Nelson 2009.
To download this track please click Here.
The second track is a wonderful version of ´Somewhere over the Rainbow´ by the lovely Rachel Green.
Rachel really makes this very beautiful song her own. Julie and Ged first heard Rachel perform the song at a fund raising event she organised for the Foundation. They were thrilled when Rachel offered to record the track to raise funds for us. "Since the first time I heard about the charity I was inspired. When I heard about Sara and her family I knew I had to be part of this wonderful cause. I´ve only recently became involved with Saras Hope Foundation and already I´ve seen the amount of love and dedication that goes into making the dream a reality. I´m privileged to have sang this song, I believe in the lyrics ´And the dreams that you dare to dream, really do come true´." - Rachel Green October 2009.
To download this track please click Here.
You can also purchase a cd of Rachel´s track by sending a cheque for £3.25 (incl P&P) made payable to ´Saras Hope Foundation´ and sending it to: -
SarasHopeFoundation
2 Silverton Court
Northumberland Business Park
Cramlington
Northumberland
NE23 7RY
´Please include your name and address´
20th October 2009 - The Vamos Plot - Update
You may have read in the local papers that the Foundation have found a plot of land on the island, which we believe is the perfect location to build the holiday retreat. As you can imagine we need to ensure that we have the correct information and that all the legal searches etc have been carried out ... frustrating as it is - this all takes time.
We are currently liaising with our UK and Cretan legal people and things are progressing as we speak ......please watch this space ....exciting times ahead.
17th October 2009 - Saras Hope Official Mascot wins award
Well done to our special friend and mascot, Lisa Walker and Smurf for winning the prestigious ´Spirit of Enterprise´ category at the Wansbeck Business Award this month. The award was presented to Lisa by local celeb Brendan Healey at a very fancy awards dinner.
For more info please click on www.wansbeckbusiness.co.uk.
Congratulations from everyone in the Saras Hope Foundation team - it is well deserved.
For more info on Lisa and Smurf please visit www.miniponyhire.webs.com
24th September 2009 - Fat Ox Update
Last week Ged and Julie collected a cheque for £1717.50 from Nilola Paterson and her businesses partners Gaye and Martin Healy from the Fat Ox Pub in Whitley Bay. This is the second year in succession that the lovely Nicola and the kind patrons of the local pub have supported the Foundation. The money was raised from the excellent ´Gigs For Kids´ charity event, raffles and some of the gang taking part in Saras Walk of Hope in August. Special thanks and well done to Martin who raised £500 from a sponsored 30 mile walk! and to Nicola for her loyal and valued support. We also would like to thank Honor, Meridith and Graham and everyone who helped organise the ´Gigs For Kids´ event.
For more info and forthcoming live music events please visit www.thefatox.co.uk
20th August 2009 - Saras Hope Foundation sponsor local junior football team
We are very proud to announce that we have sponsored NABC Pinpoint League Division 3 junior football team Ashington Community Football Club Under 11´s for the 2009 / 2010 season.
We hope your new Saras Hope Foundation strips bring you luck. Good luck, especially to the very talented goalkeeper Sam, a loyal supporter of the charity.
20th August 2009 - Dress down day at Sage
We have just received the wonderful news that Sage UK Ltd raised a massive £610 from a dress down day. A sincere thank you to Adrian Surrey (one of Saras school friends) and Jayne Archibold for nominating the charity.
23rd May 2009 - Fordley Fund Raising BBQ
Julie, Faye, Lisa, Jack and I were kindly invited to Fordleys annual BBQ on Thursday 21 May. This is the second year that the lovely Jacqui Thompson and her team have raised funds for the Foundation from the event. Thankfully the weather turned out to be very pleasant and everyone really enjoyed the excellent food (cooked perfectly by the bbq chefs Terry and Paul). Special thanks to Jacqui and her fantastic team and to all those people who supported the event. The night raised an excellent £320 for the charity.
18th May 2009 - Word gets around - more support on the island
Our wonderful overseas coordinator Pat is certainly spreading the word for us - her enthusiasm is obviously infectious as the support grows amongst the Souda Bay community. Pat recently sent us an Email saying that she had met a lovely woman called Frankie who had read about the Foundation in the Crete Courier and was very keen to be involved and help in any way she could. Frankie runs the excellent Villas Crete Holidays business in Almyrida, please click Here to view their web site.
Frankie has kindly offered to house the Saras Hope Foundation book exchange in her office. The idea was conceived by Pat and with the help of her husband Jim, she has built up a large collection of books which people can borrow for a small donation ....this is a fab idea.
All of the books have a special Saras Hope Foundation bookmark with information about the project..... we hear the books are going like hot cakes. Frankie has also kindly volunteered to help raise awareness through her business and has just received the first donation !
We are so excited that the Souda Bay Community have taken the charity to their hearts. Frankie is a very special person who will be a real asset to the Foundation and in Pat´s words
"Frankie obviously has heartfelt feelings towards the charity - She is a lovely girl...so genuine and honest".
Pat also met up with Linda Hart who lives in Liverpool but owns a holiday home in Kalives. Linda hopes to spend as much time as possible on the island and has volunteered to help Pat fund raise for the Foundation ...... so a special welcome to Frankie and Linda and a sincere thank you to Pat for her dedication and terrific enthusiasm.
7th Apr 2009 - Primary Times Poster competition
We are delighted to announce that the Foundation has joined forces with the excellent ´Primary Times magazine´. The Foundation is featured in the March to May edition (Issue 33) and the lovely Jan and her team at Primary Times are currently running a poster design competition for us. The focus is on ´Smiles, Happiness, Rainbows, Sunshine and Stars´ and is open to all primary school children in the North East.
All entries (A4 size) should be sent to Saras Hope Foundation
Primary times
1 Denehead Cottages
Hexham Road
Walbottle
Newcastle Upon Tyne
NE15 9RX
Entries must be received by Monday 20th April 2009. The winning entries will used to promote the Saras Walk of Hope in August 2009 and will be displayed in shop windows in Whitley Bay Town Centre....Good luck to everyone.
For more information on the Primary Times Magazine, please visit www.primarytimes.net
Primary Times Update
We were over the moon with the excellent standard of the entries. We are sure that Jan and her panel of judges at Primary Times found it so hard to choose a winner.
However after must deliberation they were pleased to announce that the winner was designed by Bronwen Lowery (aged 10) from St Mary & St Thomas Aquinas School in Blaydon. Bronwen´s design will be used on posters and T shirts for Saras Walk of Hope.
And the winner is: -
"It is fab, so colourful and happy, this is exactly what we were looking for".
Special thanks to Bronwen and everyone who entered the competition and also to our kind friends at the excellent Primary Times Magazine headquarters in Hexham.
And the runners up are: -
26th Mar 2009 - Donations
A special thank you to the Wansbeck Inner Wheel for their kind donation of £200 and to Sarah Brodie and her friends from the Whitley Bay Ladies Circle for their generous donation of £200.
We also received £250 worth of vouchers from the excellent Delta Force Paint Ball organisation and a donation of £115 from Andrew Cook - thanks to all of you for your wonderful support.
20th Mar 2009 - Richardson & Co to Promote Major Artist to raise money for Saras Hope Foundation
Richardson & Co have joined forces with well known artist Roger Colson to raise funds for the Saras Hope Foundation. A selection of six of Roger´s paintings will be on display at the South Parade, Leeds offices of Richardson & Co Solicitors. The paintings, which have recently been on display at an Ilkley Gallery, will be available for purchase and a large percentage of the price will be donated to the Saras Hope Foundation.
Roger kindly sent the following message to Ged and Julie I´m absolutely delighted to be a part of this project. I´m very flattered that you feel the paintings fit the cause. Sara sounded absolutely delightful and I´m very touched by her story. Take care and I hope our paths cross at some stage.
A sincere thank you to Roger Coulson, Dan Richardson and Gary Shuttleworth for this fabulous and generous gesture.
18th Mar 2009 - Meet Smurf, the official mascot of the Saras Hope Foundation
A few weeks ago Julie and Ged were introduced to Lisa Walker - Lisa is the owner of a miniature shetland pony called Smurf. Lisa very kindly offered to bring Smurf along to meet everyone in August at the Saras Walk of Hope - he loves children and the children love him. We asked Lisa if Smurf would like to become the official mascot of Saras charity and this was Lisa´s reply I met Ged, Julie and Faye through friends who were helping to raise funds for the Saras Hope Foundation and when I heard their story and why they were raising money I knew I wanted to help. Knowing how much attention Smurf gets at events and how much kids love him, I thought it might be an idea for Smurf to attend the Walk of Hope to help gain additional publicity and give the kids a treat. However, once Ged saw the photos and the kind of work we do he asked if Smurf could become the charity´s mascot and of course we agreed!
It´s surprising how Smurf can raise a smile from even the most shy child and he seems to sense when someone needs him to be extra gentle. Whether its providing pony and trap rides at events, raising awareness through our publicity or doing meet and greets with some of the kids involved with the charity, Smurf and I will be glad to help!
On Sunday we invited the children who help out with the Foundation to meet Smurf at his home in Cambois - he was a HUGE HIT - the children adore him ...........
So we are delighted and thrilled to have Smurf and his lovely owner Lisa Walker as part of the Saras Hope Team - please come and say hello to Smurf and Lisa on the 2nd August - Saras Walk of Hope event.
Smurf is a little star and has his own website and fan club for details please click Here
10th Mar 2009 - Saras Hope´s Jack Johnson wins award
The youngest member of the Saras Hope Team Jack Johnson (aged 13), was nominated in two categories for the Wansbeck District Council Young Peoples Award this month.
"Wansbeck District Council launched the Young Peoples Awards in March 2007 at Newbiggin Sports and Community Centre, in a showcase that celebrated the achievements of the district´s young people. Through recognising the commitment and enthusiasm of young people across the District we hope to change the negative perceptions that some people may have of the younger generation and raise of the aspirations of more young people, encouraging them to make a difference to their own lives and the lives of those around them."
The young person, or people, being nominated must be aged between 13 and 19 years old inclusive and be resident in the district of Wansbeck. Award categories are based on activity or achievements taking place between January and December.
Jack was pipped by the sixth formers at Bedlington High School for first place in the Young Fundraiser of the year award but WON the Young Person Making an Impact Award. Jack is the editor of our quarterly Saras Hope Newsletter and is a valued and respected member of our team.
Well done Jack, everyone in the team are so proud of you, you thoroughly deserve your award for all of your dedication and enthusiasm - you are a star. The achievement was made even more special as Jack was one of the youngest people nominated for the award.
To view a newspaper article on Jack´s achievement, please click Here.
If anyone would like to join the Saras Hope Foundation please contact Jack by email by clicking Here.
6th Mar 2009 - Sponsor a run
We were delighted to receive an email from Ashley Thorpe this week. Ashley is a member of the Sunderland Cricket club and came up with a novel and exciting way of raising money for the Foundation.
"My name is Ashley Thorpe and I am a semi-professional cricketer with Sunderland Cricket Club and former Durham County cricketer. I am also heavily involved with cricket coaching at Northern Universities (www.nusc-ccelite.play-cricket.com) and with Durham County Cricket Club at Under 13 and Under 15 levels. I also work at Northern Rock and have been touched by Saras story and would like to help collect money for the charity.
What I have started to do is a sponsor sheet with several people already agreeing to donate to the charity. The idea behind it is for people sponsoring me to donate a penny for every run I score this season. I am also looking to use a pink bat grip as a symbol of the charity and have the Saras Hope Foundation logo on my cricket bat.
I will also be promoting the charity on match days and on our club website. If you would like to sponsor me please contact me on 07875 580 103. I Look forward to making a contribution to such a great cause."
Ashley Thorpe
We at Saras Hope Foundation think this is a brilliant idea. Thanks so much for your support Ashley and we hope you achieve lots of runs this season. Good luck from everyone at the Saras Hope Foundation.
2nd Mar 2009 - Derek Paton´s 50th birthday bash
Julie, Ged and Faye were invited to attend Derek´s birthday celebration party at the Berkley Tavern on Saturday night. Derek heard about Sara´s charity from the local talented Ashington band ´The Illustrators´ and was really touched by Saras story and the projects aims. He very kindly decided to ask for a donation to the Foundation from his guests rather than receive birthday presents.
On Sunday Derek and his lovely wife Sue came with a collection bucket containing £536.78!!! A sincere thank you to Derek, Sue and all of his guests for this wonderful and kind gesture - a special thank you to the Illustrators. We would also like to thank Carl and everyone at Coast Soccer for their generous donation of £100 on the night.
24th Feb 2009 - Great North Run, Dinner Event
A special thank you to Katy and Chris Kewin for nomintating our charity and for the very generous donation of £540. Thanks to Derek and Sonia for their continued support.
4th Feb 2009 - Bothal Middle School Festive Fundraiser
Our youngest member of the team Jack Johnson, aged 12, successfully nominated the Foundation to his school who were looking for a worth while charity to support. The Bothal Middle School drama group presented a very funny and polished production of the Snow White pantomime. They raised an excellent £150 for the charity from raffles held during the interval. A million thanks to the drama group and the teachers for their wonderful support and especially Jack for his enthusiasm and dedication.
24th Jan 2009 - Burns Night Fundraiser
Julie, Ged, Keith and Lyn were kindly invited to represent Saras charity at the Assembly Rooms Burns Night Ball. The evening kicked off with a whisky tasting session led by the knowledgeable whisky expert Callum Rushforth. The night was a fantastic success with ceilidh dancing, speeches and a traditional Burns night supper. The organisers kindly invited us to hold an auction and a prize draw to raise funds for the Saras Hope Foundation. A huge thank you to Julie Redpath, Callum Rushforth, Wasim Baqir for their excellent hospitality and kindness and special thanks to Evan and Amanda for helping to sell the prize draw tickets on the night.
The auction and the prize draw raised a brilliant £1,000 plus for Saras charity.
6th Jan 2009 - A festive message from our patron Amanda Lamb
Happy Happy Christmas to you all. I hope you had a lovely festive time and roll on 2009. At the rate you´re going you will have built an entire village of homes for Saras Hope Foundation by the end of the year. I think you´re amazing!!!! See you soon my lovelies. Amanda xxx
