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Fundraising results
A grateful thanks goes out to all those who played any part in contributing to the fundraising results listed below.
Please also take a look at our photo gallery
Center Parcs
Brian Aldred, one of our supporters, stayed at Center Parcs and requested a contribution for Astro Fund. As a result, we have received a cheque for £500 from their holiday park at Whinfell Forest.
Winter Warmer Event 2011
Mary and Robbie Burton held their annual event on 10th December. Homemade soup and desserts were served together with a glass of mulled wine. Goods were on sale including books, CDs, DVDs and lots of other goodies. A raffle and tombola were also held and proceeds, including donations, are now creeping up to £700.
Fakenham Christmas Tree Festival 2011
This popular festival was held in the first week of December and, for the first time, Astro Fund was one of the 75 charities to decorate a Christmas Tree. Each charity had its own collecting bucket and visitors to the Festival donated money to their chosen charities. As a result, Astro Fund received a cheque for £480.11
Norwich City Half Marathon
Rod Barrett took part in this run on 27th November proudly wearing his new Astro Fund Shirt.
“Partylite Candle” Party
Linda Rickford hosted, by popular request, another Partylite Candle party on 8th November, where 20% of the proceeds were donated to Astrofund. Despite the dreadful weather, many good friends turned up and were very generous in their purchases, and also in their donations for refreshments – making some £350. The local Bowls club helped by inviting us to have a table at their Bonfire night and a further £150 was raised there. Altogether a total of £576 was raised for Astrofund. Many thanks to all those who participated.
The Northern Aces Scooter Club
Yian Baty was diagnosed with a grade 2 astrocytoma last year. Being an active scooter enthusiast, his local scooter club decided they would raise funds for the charity of his choice (Astro Fund). They used their scooters to take boys to their prom event in the summer and also held a weekend event. The total sum raised was £400.
Norfolk Family Walk 2011
The Fifth Norfolk Family Walk, once again organised by Christine Forecast, took place in the grounds of the magnificent Holkham Hall, Wells-next-the-Sea on Saturday, 8th October 2011. There were walks of 1, 3, 6 or 10 miles long. The one mile walk for children had games along the way.
It was a cool and blustery day but spirits were high and around £9,500 has already been raised for Astro Fund with more sponsorship money to come. Many thanks to walkers, sponsors and helpers who all helped make the day such a success.
On the day following the Walk, a small group of people who are touched by brain tumours, met with the Trustees of Astro Fund at the Old Coach House, Thornham, for an informal get together.
Gresham’s School, Holt
The school held a fundraising event and raised over £500 for Astro Fund.
A collection was made at the wedding of Sarah and Gareth Hampson and as a result £82.50 was donated to Astro Fund.
Elaine Morgan raised £50 selling banana smoothies at a Musical Festival.
Swansea Bay 10K 2011
Jo Singleton took part in this event in September 2011, raising over £150 in sponsorship.
In Loving Memory of James Sutcliffe
The family (Mrs P Griffiths, Mrs A Meek, Mr J Sutcliffe and Mrs T Toms) of Mr Sutcliffe, who sadly died recently from a brain tumour, requested donations to Astro Fund instead of flowers at his funeral. Donations received totalled £375. Bent’s Lane Social Institute also donated £25 in memory of their late member.
Honeystreet Ultra Marathon
Andrew Jordan took part in this run on 10th September 2011 and raised over £1,000 for Astro Fund. Andrew was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2010 and had surgery later that year.
Bupa Great North Run 2011
On 18th September 2011, Brian Aldred (his daughter Johanna was diagnosed with an astrocytoma in February this year) ran for Astro Fund, raising in excess of £1,200. Brian’s wife Jean was also scheduled to run but unfortunately suffered an injury two weeks before the event.
Spire Healthcare English Half Marathon 2011
James Hewitt successfully took part in this race on 18th September 2011, finishing in 1hr 40 min 35 sec and raising over £155 for Astro Fund. Jim was diagnosed with a grade II brain tumour in 2005 and has subsequently undergone two operations and radiotherapy.
Sponsored Weight Loss Contest
Lee Shann, who’s wife Jane has a grade II astrocytoma, sent us a cheque for £100 which was raised by his colleague Ricky Prescott. Ricky raised this as a result of losing a weight loss contest with another colleague!
Swiss Alpine 2011 C42 Marathon
Ann Muldoon completed the Swiss Alpine 2011 C42 Marathon on 30th July and raised the magnificent sum of £1584 for Astro Fund. Find Ann on her Just Giving page at http://www.justgiving.com/AnnMuldoon.
Grand Draw
Astro Fund had a stand at Sandringham Flower Show on Wednesday, 27th July. Raffle tickets for the Grand Draw were sold and at 5pm the draw was made. Winners of the breaks in Norfolk Hotels are as follows:-
The Blakeney Hotel: Jill Pool, King's Lynn- Congham Hall Hotel & Country Club: Katie Phillips, Metfield, Nr Harleston
- The Kiwi Inns: Mrs M Dartford, Hunstanton
- Heacham Manor Hotel: Mrs J. Ward, Old Coulsdon, Surrey
- Hoste Arms, Burnham Market: Josie Chapman, Sedgeford
- Knights Hill Hotel, King's Lynn: Chris Bunt, Hobs Cross, Harlow
- Le Strange Arms Hotel, Old Hunstanton: Mrs A. Ward, Fowlmere, Royston
- Rose & Crown, Snettisham: Naureen Bhatty, Holme-next-the-Sea
- Titchwell Manor Hotel: Miss B Beeston, Dronfield, Derbyshire
- The White Horse, Brancaster Staithe: Mrs Churchley
Many congratulations to the winners. The Trustees would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank all those who supported the event by selling or buying raffle tickets - total proceeds amounted to around £2000.
Grateful thanks also go to the above named hotels for the generous gesture of donating the breaks.
Georgie Beadman donated £112.90 being a percentage of proceeds of her Art Exhibition. Other donations from family and friends took the total to £212.90.
Robbie Burton has raised £224 so far this year selling fruit and Veg.
Birmingham Black Country Half Marathon 2011
Steph Shinton successfully completed this half marathon on Saturday, 2nd July 2011 in spite of the warm and humid day. The route followed towpaths alongside the canals which connect Wolverhampton to Birmingham. Steph raised in excess of £500 for Astro Fund. She reported that the atmosphere was fantastic and she really enjoyed the day - Steph was especially pleased that her twin sister, Sam, who is a brain tumour patient, was able to attend and cheer her on.
Safari Supper
A Safari Supper was held at Park Farm, Snettisham, Norfolk, on Wednesday 22nd June 2011. Guests went on a safari to see the deer and the new calves. This was followed by a venison barbecue and a chance to meet friends and listen to live jazz. There was also a raffle with prizes including champagne and basket of fruit. The event was a joint venture with Astro Fund and Macmillan Cancer Care and total proceeds to be divided between the two charities came to £1626. A most successful and enjoyable event thanks to the hard work of Christine, Trevor and friends.
Summer Party
The King William IV Country Inn and Restaurant at Sedgeford, Norfolk held a Summer Party on 23rd June 2011 to celebrate the pub's 175th anniversary. A jazz band entertained guests on the terrace where Pimms and canapes were served before guests sat down to enjoy a meal of their choice. A raffle was also held. The owners, Nick & Lili Skeritt, presented Astro fund with a cheque for £400.
Dusseldorf Marathon
Sara Joyce took part in the Dusseldorf marathon on 8th May 2011 and has raised in excess of £2000 for Astro fund. Sara's husband, Richard, was diagnosed with a low-grade brain tumour in December 2008.
80’s Fundraising Night
Rachael Hammond held this event in May 2011 with the help of Georgie Beadman, Nikki Moore and Mary Tremaine. The evening was a great success, much fun was had and £1206.75 was raised, of which £900 was donated to Astro fund.
Llandudno 10 Mile Race
Siobhan Jones successfully completed this race and has raised almost £500 to date.
Brain Bling
Fraser Miller has raised in excess of £260 from the sale of 'Brain Bling' bracelets. He has also sent us a cheque for £73 being proceeds from a raffle held at Moy Park of Wisbech.
Bridge Day at the Old Coach House, Thornham, Norfolk
The third Bridge Day was held on 30th March 2011 and, once more, proved a great success. 80 bridge players from all over Norfolk enjoyed getting together and the event raised the magnificent sum of £1,184. Coffee and home made biscuits were served at 10.30 a.m. and three rubbers were played before lunch. The Old Coach House provided an excellent lunch of lasagnes, pizzas and salad followed by profiteroles and apple crumble which were enjoyed by all. After another three rubbers, tea and biscuits were served and raffle prizes collected. Many thanks to helpers Audrey, Pat and Edna for selling the tickets at £20 each and helping collect raffle prizes which included champagne, hampers and a box of mustards. We look forward to another successful event next year.
In loving memory of Gemma Barrett
Total amount donated/raised £5188
"Our lovely daughter Gemma was diagnosed with a low grade brain tumour after suffering an epileptic seizure on 1st December 2006 at the age of 25. She faced her illness with outstanding courage and strength, enduring two operations, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. She got on with her life and refused to let her illness stand in her way. With friends and family she raised money for brain tumour research. Twice she joined the Astro Fund Family Walk at Holkham. Gemma was a geography teacher at Hartismere High School, Eye, Suffolk, a job she loved. She worked up until December 2009 when she became ill as a result of her tumour starting to grow again. She underwent a course of chemotherapy, suffering devastating side effects from this but remained cheerful and never felt sorry for herself. She passed away peacefully on 17th November 2010. She will always be remembered for her sparkling blue eyes, her big smile and unfailing bravery."
Ros & David Barrett
Total donations to Astro Fund in Gemma's memory amounted to £4097 and, according to her wishes, car boot and garage sales of her household furniture and effects were held and amassed a further £1091.
Waitrose Donation
Linda Rickford contacted her local Waitrose store in Coulsdon and they agreed to make Astro Fund one of their three charities of the month. Customers then voted for the charity of their choice and as a result we have received a cheque for £500 from Waitrose.
Poem book
Alyson M Smallwood, who has an astrocytoma brain tumour, wrote a booklet, called "Butterfly in a Jam Jar", which consisted of over sixty charming and topical poems and has been busy selling them, donating the proceeds to Astro Fund. The amount raised has now exceeded £1,100 – a brilliant sum!
31st December 2010
In Loving Memory of Jean Margaret Kent
Donation of £185
"This is in response to my late wife’s specific wish that any contributions from family and friends after her death be donated to your specific fund. Flowers she considered a waste of money and she impressed on us the far more purposeful use of money to fight what is a frightening disease. Be assured that a glimmer of comfort will be felt by all of us knowing a bit of help has come out of our grief."
Mr Dow Kent, 31st December 2010
Winter Warmer Event
Mary and Robbie Burton held their Christmas Fundraising event on 18th December, serving soup, desserts and mulled wine to friends and families. They also held a bring & buy, raffle and tombola. Total raised so far is £605.
'Partylite Candle' Party
On 2nd November 2010 Linda Rickford hosted a fund raising event at her home. She held a 'Partylite Candle' party with all of the commission, 20%, going to Astro Fund. She also held a bring and buy sale of goods including toiletries, jewellery, knick-knacks, books and puzzles, all donated by friends and neighbours, and a raffle with local pubs and shops donating prizes including vacuum cleaner, pub meals in 3 different pubs, picnic hamper, meat voucher from the local butcher, flowers, brandy and wine.
The event was very well supported by friends, friends of friends, and neighbours (the house was bursting at the seams nearly all day!) and including all other donations, over £2,260 was raised for Astro Fund - not including gift aid. Linda would like to express her thanks to everyone who supported the event in any way, especially to her daughter Julie, who took a day off work to help, and to Freda who helped set everything up. All in all - a great day and evening!
Norfolk Family Walk 2010
The fourth annual Norfolk Family Walk, once again ably organised by Christine Forecast and her helpers, took place on Sunday, 10th October, 2010 in the beautiful grounds of Holkham Hall near Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk.
379 walkers and their dogs walked a total of over 1419 miles in glorious sunshine on the warmest October day for years. Children walking the one mile route played games or made birds with Catherine from Natural England. One group from King’s Lynn had over 40 family members walking and others travelled long distances to support Astro fund.
Sum raised at 31st December 2010, from registration fees, sponsorship, donations and gift aid, is around £7,500 with more sponsorship money expected. A great result!
ASICS British 10K London Run 2010
The run was successfully completed by Martin Segal and Erica Marks on 11th July, raising in excess of £2000 for Astro Fund.
Shopping Evening
On 13th May 2010, Adeline Tropman held a shopping evening. She gathered together some talented friends and had 14 different stalls scattered around her house and garden offering such diverse things as crafts, cakes, books, palm reading and hand massage. Adeline then invited everybody she knew and was overwhelmed when 70 people turned up! A really fun social evening ensued and an impressive £740 was raised for Astro Fund.
Bridge Day at the Old Coach House, Thornham, Norfolk
The Bridge Day was a great success for the second year running and the players have requested another next year!!! It was a great day with 64 bridge players from all over Norfolk getting to know each other or renewing friendships and raising £994.50. They arrived for coffee and home made biscuits at 10.30 a.m. and played four rubbers before lunch. The Old Coach House provided an excellent lunch of lasagnes, pizzas and salad followed by profiteroles and apple crumble which all got lots of praise. After another three rubbers tea and biscuits were served and raffle prizes collected. Many thanks to helpers Audrey, Pat, Mary and Edna for selling the tickets at £20 each and helping collect raffle prizes which were all very good, from meals at the Lifeboat Inn and the Old Coach House, both at Thornham, bottles of wine, whisky and sherry to hampers of food and fruit. Here's to next year and seeing the same people again.
Halton 5 Mile Road Race
Karan and Ian Waller successfully completed this event on 4th April 2010 and raised in excess of £2500
10K runs
Rod Barrett successfully completed a series of four 10K runs (Sevenaoks, Hyde Park, Darent Valley and Esher Church School) in 2010 amassing over £2,000 in sponsorship (£2,400 with Gift Aid).
Other events
A total of £391.17 was raised at a Collection Day at Tesco, King’s Lynn by Christine, Katie, Mary, Robbie and friends.
Pauline Curson organised a metal detecting day and Dereham & District Metal Detecting Club donated the proceeds of £124 to Astro fund.
Jeany Brazier organised a 'Pampered Chefs' evening in March 2010. Over £600 was spent on products and the company donated the sum of £93.91 to Astro Fund.
In August 2010, Christine, Mary and supporters attended Hunstanton Kite Festival where £100 was raised. Also in August a collection day was held at Morrisons Supermarket, King’s Lynn where the sum of £187.50 was raised.
Robbie Burton has raised £150 so far in 2010 selling fruit and veg from his own and friends' and neighbours' gardens.
Mary and Robbie Burton held their third 'Christmas Cheer' event at their home in December 2009 (see left) and raised £600, which has now increased to £900 thanks to a matched donation by Santander Bank.
Linda Rickford got together with people she sees regularly and, instead of sending each other Christmas cards, they pooled the money they would have spent and donated the sum of £50 to Astro Fund.
Lee Shann and Martyn Bridgewater (see right) raised the grand sum of £565 by taking part in the 2009 'Just Bike' Event.
Fruit and vegetable sales at Mary and Robbie Burton's B&B 'Meadow Springs" at Holme-next-the-Sea in Norfolk have raised £240 in 2009
The London 10k 2008. Martin Segal's team raised £4,431 for Astro Fund in memory of Martin's wife Stacey. Cath Slatter raised a further £100 in support of David Coupe, who has a LGG and is in junior school with her son Callum.
Cathi Core, who has undergone 2 craniotomies to remove her astrocytoma, completed the Leeds Family Fun Run with her young son Tom in May 2007. Meanwhile her husband Ian ran the Leeds Half Marathon, and together with friends they raised over £2,295. Their repeat performances in 2008 raised a further £1,158; this time with a team of 7 kids and 6 adults in the Fun Run and friend Sally joining Ian for the Half Marathon.
Liz Sanders and Mandy James of Redbournbury Watermill & Bakery near St.Albans held a wine and cheese party with delicious home-baked Redbournbury bread, raising £1,100 in 2007. In 2008 they held another tea party and raised a further £730, despite dreadful weather!
Dave and Nikki Collin are currently stationed in Germany and completed the Gutersloh Half Marathon 2008, raising £1274. Nikki's LGG remains stable and we wish Dave well as he returns to serve in Iraq.
Carol Wilson held a Paella Party on a sunny evening in June 2008 as that was the favourite food of her brother Alan, who died of a high-grade tumour in 2007. She raised £910, to be split between SDBTT and Astro Fund.
Scott Culverwell, who had surgery for his LGG in April 2006, ran the Reading Half Marathon in March 2007 and raised £617, following that up with the Richmond Half Marathon in May 2008 and a further £488.
Wayne Fogg of Rayleigh Estate Agency Connells jogged all the way from Rayleigh to Southend and raised £750 in support of Grace Connell who has a LGG. Scroll down the page to see a picture of Grace at her own Swing Night!
The Peter Culverhouse Memorial Trust have donated almost £9,000 to support our work over the past 3 years, and this year's donation will be an additional £3,318.57. Events including marathons, concerts and golf days have all made invaluable contributions to this wonderful total.
Jacqueline Gough (Astro Babe) and Alison Taylor (Star Supporter) romped their way round the Birmingham 5km Women's Hydro Active Challenge 2007 to raise £250
The London 10K 2007 attracted a number of runners raising money for the Astro Fund, including:
- Haldane Broby & team £2,576, plus £1,000 still to come from the Astrazeneca matched giving scheme.
- Philip & Pete Kitchener £1,535.51
- Josie Alderton & friend £654
- Martin Segal & friends £2,940
- Mike Scott £500 so far, including £250 from the PricewaterhouseCoopers matched funding programme.
Ann Hargreaves, whose nephew David Coupe has a paediatric LGG, held a tea party as part of the National Garden Scheme, raising £1,000.
Jim Hewitt, who has a low-grade astrocytoma, ran the London Marathon 2007, improving on previous results & raising £616 in the process.
Claire & Scott Franey held a Bond 007 Ball on 17th March 2007, and raised just over £20,000. They were joined by celebrities Alesha Dixon (formerly of Mistiq, now a solo artist who hosted the Brit Awards 2006) and England Goalkeeper David James, as well as many other valued friends.
Year 9 (especially 9E) at Salendine Nook High School and Technology College in Huddersfield have raised £245.43 by collecting money in Smarties tubes & raffling a jar of sweets. Thanks must also go the Year 10 Enterprise Initiative, especially Tom Pearson, who baked & sold lots of biscuits, making over £40. The Staff then held a coffee morning and raised a further £169.63. Everyone has been inspired by their teacher Cathi Core, who has a low-grade glioma.
The Staff at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP have raised £2,550 so far through various fundraising activites, after their colleague Sarah Kitchener was diagnosed with a low-grade glioma in Feb 2006. The latest event was a preview evening of the Bond movie Casino Royale, which raised a further £1,251.
Sarah's friend Cheryl Dickenson is off to New Zealand; her leaving party raised £414.72 through ticket sales and a collection box on the night.
The Peter Culverhouse Memorial Trust have donated £5,539.78 to support our work over the past two years, and this year's donation will be an additional £3,319.69. Their Thames Barge Trip on 10th Sept 2007 included Tower Bridge being raised for them to pass through. You can find out more about the PCMT and support their fundraising by clicking here.
Thank you to all the numerous individuals and companies who are helped to promote our Trek to Brazil in May 2007 by displaying posters, writing articles about us in newsletters, and inserting links to our website from their own. Examples of this valuable support can be found at www.pendlewood.com and www.eduscapes.co.uk
Jenny Ashburn completed the Great North Run 2006 in 2hrs, 4mins, 54 seconds to be precise! All the training paid off as she raised £500.
Kate Coupe's Tennis in the Park day raised £103; great fun was had by all, and some future Wimbledon Stars were spotted!
The Lodge of Antiquity No.2 has donated £2,890 towards the Gene-based research project based at the University of Hull, details of which can be found in the Research section of this website.
Simon Legg & Tony Giles Cycled Coast to Coast, 136 miles from Whitehaven to Newcastle-upon-Tyne, reaping the rewards of their training by enjoying wonderful weather & scenery whilst raising £1,049.
The Charities Committee of Slough Estates plc have donated £1,000 towards our work.
Ange Scrutton & Faiza Khan raised £338 at the Adidas Kingston Breakfast run, with Ange going on to raise a further £92 at the Wirral Coastal Walk 2005 before finally putting her feet up.
Duncan Goose completed the Isle of Wight Walk 2005 with his dog Juno and raised £870.97
Brain Tumour Action have donated the considerable sum of £10,000 towards our research project at The National Hospital for Neurology & Neurosurgery, Queen Square, London, led by Dr.Jeremy Rees.
Tomkins plc have donated £350 to enable a telephone conference call support group to take place once a month for a year.
The Provincial Grand Lodge of Cheshire Freemasons have also donated £350 towards our new telephone support conference calls initiative.
The members of Hale Lawn Tennis Club put an extra few pounds on their entry forms for Tournament Week 2005 and raised a total of £300.
Davis Blank Furniss Solicitors have generously donated £10,000 towards our research funds.
Pannone & Partners Solicitors held a Fundraising Friday and raised £1,000 for the Astro Fund.
Gavin Peacock generously donated £1,500 from the proceeds of his Testimonial Match at QPR; you can read about his life by clicking here.
Fiona Sheen's Mile Swim Challenge 2004 raised £200, neatly matching her previous 2003 total.
Jane Bates of Fairfield Interiors and David Davies, Chief Executive of QPR Football Club, both completed the London Marathon in excellent times and raised over £1,000 each. Jane Bates then went on to run the New York Marathon 2004 and raised a further £620.65 in the process.
A Dress Down Day at Berkeley Scott Group Plc raised £171.36
QPR LSA Supporters Club & QPR LSA Race Night raised £1,207, and the Auction of Les Ferdinand's signed World Cup Shirt a further £325
A School Reunion Raffle of the Alderman Catleugh Girls Secondary School, King's Lynn, Norfolk £404
A Bucket Collection at the QPR v Huddersfield match by the QPR Loyal Supporters Association and the QPR Supporters Club collected £1,000
The Rio Tinto plc Social Club donated £200
A Car Boot Sale in Norfolk £82
A Dress Down Day at PayPoint Ltd, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire £77
The Lakes and Border Marches Classic Car Run over 300 miles from Coast to Coast in two days completed by Brian Murdoch and Len & Janis Wadge £150
A Coffee Morning in Bowdon, Cheshire £700
The London to Brighton Bike Ride 2001 was completed by a team of 23 raising £12,005.40, including a double whammy by Jan & Nick Webb who also completed the Manchester to Blackpool Bike Ride just two weeks later
A Dinner Party hosted by Jacqui Hiesler & Sarah Sullivan a mouthwatering £280
The Collection Box at Milsom's, Dedham, Colchester £22.34
Donations instead of presents at an Anniversary Party £250
A donation from Hale United Reformed Church Outward Giving Project £150
A Dress Down Day at Shepherd & Wedderburn, Edinburgh £77
August Bank Holiday Fun Weekend at the Shoulder of Mutton Pub, York £505
Loftus Road to Adam's Park Bike Ride by the QPR Loyal Supporters Association. A team of 15, including 2 on a tandem, raised £4,571
Katie Barrett sold over 45 pints of homemade soup, numerous sausage rolls & cakes during just one lunchtime at her workplace. In return, colleagues donated would they would normally have spent on lunch, raising over £530
Sarah Parry, who has a LGG, raised £317 for Astro Fund in the Great North Run 2008, following her 2007 success in the London 10k for SDBTT.
The Norfolk Family Walk at Holkam Hall raised over £5,000 in 2007, with over 150 people taking part and 688 miles covered, to add to the Walk Around the World total. Due to popular demand this has become an annual event, and in 2008 a further £10,000 (inc.gift aid) was raised on a stunning Autumn Day, with 882 miles covered by people and a lot of dogs! Many thanks to Christine Forecast for her unstinting work in memory of her Son-in-Law Paul Chamberlain, who is the inspiration behind Astro Fund. A special mention for 2008 also needs to go to Gemma Barrett and her family who raised over £3,600. See our forthcoming events page for details of next year's event & other fundraisers planned for the Norfolk area.
Rod Barrett jogged round his own Half Marathon course in support of his niece Gemma Barrett who has a LGG, raising twice his target to reach £3,060.51 in sponsorship.
Gemma's Aunt Mary Burton has also organised a number of successful events in Norfolk: her 2008 Summer Party & BBQ raised £780, with a further £205 raised through the sale of fruit, veg and greetings cards, whilst 2007 & 2008's Christmas Cheer Days raised £1,057 and of course she also took part in the Norfolk Family Walk with Gemma and many other members of their family.
Gresham's Pre-Prep School in Holt, Norfolk, raised a record amount of £811 for their dress-down day and playground walk in Nov 2008. The walk was led by 7 year olds Ellie Scott and Lexy Chamberlain. Lexy's Daddy Paul died of a LGG in March 2006; and it was Paul who inspired the foundation of Astro Fund in 2001.
Sarah Polack raised £772 at the London Half Marathon 2008, in support of her sister Jo, who has a LGG.
Nick Smith completed the tough Beachy Head Marathon 2008 in 4hrs 21mins and raised £1,052. Money has been split between Astro Fund (in support of his 9 year old Godson David, who has a LGG) and SDBTT Alfie Morland Fund (in support of a work colleague whose baby's life was taken by a high grade brain tumour)
Julia Price, Nigel Priestley and friend Cath travelled over 500 miles and climbed over 3,000 metres in their 3 Peaks Challenge 2007, raising £1,299 in support of their friend Sarah Kitchener who has a LGG. In 2008, Julia and Nigel completed the Kennet & Avon Canal Walk, raising a further £915.26
Veronica Tucker completed the Adidas Women's 5k Challenge 2008, raising £378.21
Justin Cole stormed round the London Marathon course in 3hrs 59mins and 21seconds to beat his fundraising target and donate £3,486.10 in support of his brother Sam who has a LGG.
'Onstage' hosted one of their regular variety shows in Leeds, with all acts donating their talents and time for free. This great showcase raised £2,050.
Rachael Newman-Sanders held a Sam's Campaign tea party in memory of Paul Chamberlain, who is the inspiration behind the Astro Fund, and raised £100.
Her husband Ed, who had cycled alongside Paul in previous fundraising events, then got a team together to cycle from London to Cambridge, raising a further £1,256.
Hilary Bagguley, whose daughter Rebekah has a LGG, held a garden party at her home and raised £1,275
Angela Smith & her daughter Hannah Wells did a car boot sale and raised £80, and will be taking part in the Holkham Hall sponsored walk 2008
Jane Willson stormed her way round the Shakespeare Half Marathon in April 2008, raising £750 in support of her friend Rachel who has a LGG
The Yorkshire Dales 3 Peaks Challenge was completed by Joanna Bailey & colleagues from PricewaterhouseCoopers, London, as part of their support for Sarah Kitchener, who was diagnosed with a LGG in Feb 2006. Together they raised £17,637, which included £5,750 from the PWC matched funding programme.
Family friend of Sarah Kitchener, Teresa Dawson, held a garden party at her home in June 2007 and raised £4,338 thanks to the support of family, friends and businesses in the local area.
Matt Sudlow and Mike Gilbey completed a bike ride from Cherbourg to Biarritz, raising £4,014, with more to come from the PricewaterhouseCoopers matched funding programme.
Marcus Brissenden was joined by colleagues on a cycle ride from London to Oxford, raising £7,969. This included a donation from Dow Jones of £2,500.
Heidi Reakes ran the 'Great West Run 2007' around Exeter (13.1 miles), encouraged from the sidelines by her fiance Pete Blunden who has a LGG, and with her friend Gemma Morris running alongside her. They have raised £1,246, Pete, meanwhile, is busy designing us a brand new website. Watch this space!
Kate Coupe, whose young son has been living with a LGG since he was a toddler, held a tea party as part of the March 2007 "Sam's Campaign", raising £243.
Grace Connell who was diagnosed with a LGG in 2006 held a "Step Into Swing" night with her great friend Nikki Clark. They made over £3,900 as well as gaining valuable local press coverage in the Essex area, and are busy planning another great party for the future.
Liz Knight then completed the Malvern Half Marathon 2008 to raise £363 in further support of Grace
David Spencer and James Wigglesworth ran the Wilmslow Half Marathon 2007, raising £376
David Perrow, whose partner Sarah Kitchener was diagnosed with a LGG in February 2006, ran the Reading Half Marathon 2007 with his friends Matthew Green & Daniel Albert. Together they raised £3,080.
Caroline Ringrow is a friend and colleague of Sarah Kitchener's. Caroline ran the Paris Marathon in April 2007, raising £1,195. This includes £250 from PricewaterhouseCoopers matched funding programme.
Ruth Blundell, whose young daughter Lily has a LGG, held Sam's Campaign tea parties at Lily's school and in her local village hall , raising £1,600. You may have seen Lily and her sister Harriet on TV if you live in the Tyne Tees area!
Bramhall Web have kindly given us a free listing on their website.
Dane Housing of Cheshire have donated £100 to support our work.
Pipex have raised £228 from a raffle held at their Christmas party. Cheers!
Ramsden FC's sponsored walk, organised by Gerald Carter on October 22nd 2006, has raised £3,992 on behalf of Sarah Kitchener, who has a low-grade brain tumour and is the sister of one of the club members. The circular route began and ended at the Nag's Head Pub, which helped the atmosphere along no end by supplying free food to the walkers and organising a raffle and extra sponsorship to boost the total raised.
Mark & Dan, also friends of Sarah, did a successful if scary skydive, raising £622
Julia and Nigel Pike completed the Lyke Wake Walk in September 2006 and raised £2,611 in support of their friend Sarah Kitchener. They walked this classic Yorkshire route of 40 miles mainly in the fog, starting at midnight so that they could do most of it in the daylight!
Pownall Park Tennis Club raised £21 at their raffle during a Ladies' Tennis Tournament
Karen Alderton completed the Cornwall Coastal Path Challenge in July 2006, inspired by her daughter Josie who was diagnosed with a LGG in September 2004. Karen was supported by husband Paul and friends Mike and Sonya, as well as Josie and her fiancee Roger. Including additional funds raised through the collection of mobile phones for recycling, Karen has raised over £6,117. Karen, Josie and Roger have also managed to get valuable press coverage for their story.
Kate Humphrey completed the London Marathon 2006 in 4 hours 6 minutes and raised £354.50 for the Astro Fund.
Wilkinson have made a donation of £300 towards funding a year of telephone support conference calls.
A sponsored walk in Sedgeford, Norfolk has raised over £1,000 so far, with money still to come in. If you would like to participate in any other fundraising events in this area, please email our Regional Fundraising Co-ordinator Christine Forecast. A Norfolk Dinner Dance took place on 19th November 2005 and raised over £11,000.
Years 5 & 6 at Cheadle Hulme Junior School held a Dance Competition and raised £46.27. A delicious Cake Sale held by Class Y3H raised £78.57, and their Lunchtime Children's Disco a further £52.18. Collections after Music Concerts have raised £256.71 in 2005 and £253 in 2006.
Cheadle Hulme Senior School Year 7 did a Colour Themed Fancy Dress Fun Run and raised £3,724.86.
Cheadle Hulme Senior School Charity Hike 2004 raised £600, and the Charity Hike 2005 a further £300
Toby Kennon had an extreme haircut and raised £427.
The East Essex Caving Instructors Team has donated £888.75
Nadia Larsson & her husband Alex ran the Nike Richmond 10K Race and raised £1010.
The Collection Box at The Crown & Sceptre, Shepherd's Bush, London has gathered £366.43, and the Raffle of a Gallon of Whisky a further £137.25
The Probation Dept of Feltham Young Offenders Institution have donated £100 winnings from their Lottery Syndicate
Martin Segal completed the London Triathlon in 2hrs 7mins and raised over £3,000.
Grahame Molen raised £287 running, swimming & cycling alongside Martin Segal in the London Triathlon. Impressive teamwork!
The Collection Box at The Hare Arms, Stow Bardolph, Norfolk £82.56
Andrew Eales raised a total of £513 by running the Windsor & Reading Half Marathons
Two Dinner Dances in Bowdon, Cheshire raised a total of £13,156
The London to Brighton Bike Ride 2002 was completed by a team of 52, with sponsorship money totalling £16,072
The Collection Box at The Rose & Crown, Snettisham, Norfolk has gathered £39.26
Terry Davies raised £250 from a Sponsored Silence during the England v Argentina World Cup Match
The ASB v QPR LSA Football Match raised £237.72
The Duke of York, Acton, London, raised £1,043 50 at their Race Night
The Collection Box at Antonio's Wine Bar, King's Lynn, Norfolk £18
Coffee/Wine Afternoon/Evening in Cheshire raised £1,656. Gift, cake, bric-a-brac stalls, a raffle and a sealed bid auction for a Barbour jacket coupled with some very generous friends were a recipe for success!
GBM Support Services have donated £100
The Collection Box at Prontaprint, King's Lynn, Norfolk £25.10
Maz Eshmade has recycled some of her old clothes to raise £24
… and of course another very big 'THANK YOU' goes out to everyone else who has made private and company donations large and small; every penny makes a difference, and is very much appreciated.