Amanda Lund-Batchelor and her husband Duncan of Ananda Healing Limited felt compelled to donate a percentage of their companies earnings to a worthy charity and St Catherine’s is close too their hearts.
Ananda Healing Limited
For the last three years, Amanda and her husband Duncan have run a Holistics Therapy Practice called Ananda Healing Limited. They feel very passionate about peoples wellbeing and care and felt the synergee between the work they do and St Catherine’s to be very apt. Amanda and Duncan donate to one charity a year so when her father became ill and was cared for by the staff at St Catherine’s the connection become even more valuable. Amanda told us St Catherine’s has always been one of her favourite charities for the work they do, which extends to the families as well as the person who is unwell.
St Catherine’s Hospice:
St Catherine’s Hospice is a charity dedicated to providing specialised end of life care and support to local people, their families, friends and carers.
For over 25 years we have been providing high quality hospice care, free of charge, to people living in Crawley, Horsham, Mid Sussex and East Surrey. Hospice care is based on the belief that each person is more than their illness, and that each of us has unique physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs. St Catherine’s responds to the needs of each individual, helping people achieve the best possible quality of life.
This highly personal, holistic approach to care takes time, skill and experience from a multi-professional team. We care for people in the hospice, in their homes and in nursing homes. We also provide training, advice and support to other health professionals.
Source: www.stch.org.uk
The Donation:
Amanda and Duncan dedicated the month of September as their month for St Catherine’s, encouraging their clients to book in their treatments that month knowing a percentage of their money paid would then be donated to such a great charity. Amanda and Duncan raised a massive £160! Michael of St Catherine’s told us this is a staggering amount of money and gratefully received. Michael went on to tell us “this money could cover the cost of a patient to attend our Day Hospice for a week and a half, which makes such a difference. Every little helps and we are more than grateful to Ananda Healing for their donation”.
We would like to thank Amanda and Michael for talking to us. Well done to Ananda Healing for this very generous feat.
Why not dedicated a month to a charity of your choice and give a percentage of your earnings. If you choose to do this, Crawley Happy Times would like to hear from you
Slimming World Groups all across Crawley doing a 12 week sponsored slim to raise much needed cash for St Catherine’s Hospice, all our groups are taking part in this, some of our members are also taking part in the St Catherine’s Midnight walk in Horsham on 11th June or the Sponsored Bike ride on 22nd May, we are also doing lots of little fund raising events in our groups across the 12 weeks, its a win/win situation, our members lose lbs and St Catherine’s gain £££’s….!!!
We will also be encouraging members to donate their BIG clothes to St Catherine’s Hospice shops as they get smaller throughout the challenge..
We are having Let’s Beat It Together Launch parties in all our groups w/c 28th February and are encouraging our members to bring along friends/family to join us to lose weight and raise lbs, below is a little bit about it from the Slimming World Website, it would be great if you could get involved with this as the more money raised the better.
Groups are held at the following venues:-
Pound Hill – St Barnabas Church Hall, on Tuesdays at 7pm
Pound Hill – St Barnabas Church Hall, on Wednesdays at 9.30am
Tilgate – Trinity Church Hall on Mondays at 7pm
Tilgate – Trinity Church Hall on Thursdays at 7pm
Gossops Green – St Albans Church Hall, Tuesdays at 6pm
Northgate – St Pauls Church Hall on Mondays 7pm
West Green – Crawley Baptist church on Wednesdays at 6pm
Maidenbower – Junior school on Thursdays at 5.30 & 7.30pm
Maidenbower - Brook First School Saturdays at 9.30am
Broadfield – Community Centre on Thursdays at 7.30pm
Copthorne – St Johns Church Hall Tuesdays 7.30pm
East Grinstead - Chequer Mead Theatre on Wednesdays 7pm
Steve Littler is a determined gentleman on a mission to complete his first marathon.
Steve, Area Manager for Bishops Move in Crawley, is in training to run the Neolithical Marathan. This is a twenty six mile run from Avebury to Stone Henge. Why is Steve any different to any other runner, we hear you ask. Well, Steve sprained his ankle seven weeks ago and was originally told he would not be ready for the marathon in May. Instead of getting down about his situation, Steve made sure he gave his ankle as much rest as he could, then was back on his feet, determined to participate. Steve is raising money for a charity which has effected everyone at some time in their lives, including Steve. St Catherine’s Hospice is a charity dedicated to providing specialised support to local people and their families, friends and carers.
Steve attended Crawley Hospital’s walk in centre and told Shelley he was very impressed and pleased with the service he received. Crawley Hospital has always been portrayed in a negative light, so it was refreshing to hear Steve speak so highly of the staff and the hospital itself.
The twenty six mile marathon will be the first for Steve, who is not joined to any clubs but trains with family and friends. His wife just completed the London Marathon in a great time. Steve is hoping to complete this with his wife next year. We wish them both all the best for that. Crawley Happy Times would like to wish Steve all the best for his marathon, and we look forward on reporting Steve’s achievement.
If you would like to sponsor Steve please go here…
When Steve is not working or training for the marathon, he can be found playing bass guitar in a band called Flip The Bird. Our thanks goes to Neil Palfreyman for allowing us to use these great pictures
Shelley spoke to Steve about his trials and trivializations whilst preparing for such a feat.
Starr Winter Magic arrives in Crawley on Tuesday 19th January to conjure up laughter, smiles and urgently needed money for the local charity St Catherine’s Hospice.
The show is a miraculous mix of illusion, comedy and thrilling magic.
One of Britain’s most highly acclaimed masters of illusion Andrew Van Buren performs. Andrew’s unique talents have baffled audiences through out the world and earned him the coveted membership of Magic’s most exclusive society – The Magic Circle.
It’s laughter all the way with the hilarious antics of Duo Delbosq whose infectious style of physical comedy knows no boundaries of language or age when it comes to pure entertainment.
An enchanting show recognised as the brand leader in genuine family entertainment which appeals to all ages.
Starr Winter Magic is presented by Circus Starr which occupies a unique position in British circus by raising thousands of pounds for local charities with the advance sales of show tickets to local businesses.
The donations from those sales go towards specialised equipment for hospitals and hospices.
Since proudly taking to the road 22 years ago, Circus Starr has raised more than £2 million for local charities.
The show will be in Crawley, The Haven Centre, with two performances at 4.45pm and 7pm.
Please call the booking and information hotline on 01260 27145 or speak to Becki on 01260 276627.
Business Sponsorhip –
· For only £23 a business can have their company name and telephone number displayed on a large plasma screen at the show along with 1 free ticket to either performance. They can have this ticket for their own use or kindly donate it so an underprivileged child gets to experience the circus through our donated ticket scheme.
· For £28.75 you can also have the business displayed along with the everything above.
· For £57.50 a business can have their business name, telephone number and logo displayed on the large plasma screen, plus their company name printed on to the flyers which are handed out to everyone who attends the show, plus 2 frees tickets again for own use or we offer them for donation.
As Christmas approaches, it can be a sad time of year for many people who have lost someone close.
In recognition of this, St Catherine’s Hospice is holding a special event to give everyone the chance to reflect and remember someone special.
The main Tree of Light service will be held at the K2 Leisure Centre in Crawley on Sunday 6th December from 4pm. Everyone is welcome, regardless of whether their loss is recent or some time ago, or if the person being remembered was cared for by St Catherine’s or not.
Tree of Light in remembrance
The service will include carols, readings, time for reflection and lighting the Tree of Light. The service is followed by refreshments and the chance to speak to staff from St Catherine’s bereavement team.
There will also be smaller, additional services at:
• Our Lady & St Peter’s Church, East Grinstead at 4pm on 6th December
• St Bartholomew’s Church, Horley at 5pm on 6th December
• Trinity URC (with St Mary’s C of E Church), Billingshurst at 5pm on 6th December
• St Mary’s Church, Oxted at 4pm on 6th December
• St Phillip’s Church (with St Mark’s, Reigate Methodist and St Mary’s Churches), Reigate at 5pm on 6th December
• Redhill URC, Redhill at 6pm on 6th December
• St Paul’s Church (with Dorking Churches Together), Dorking at 6pm on 6th December
• Trafalgar Road Baptist Church (with Holy Trinity), Horsham at 6pm on 6th December • Christ Church URC (with Trinity URC, Ifield), Pound Hill at 6.30pm on 6th December
• St Mark’s Church, Horsham at 6.30pm on 6th December
• St John’s Church, Felbridge at 6.30pm on 13th December
As well as attending a service, there is the chance to remember a loved one by sponsoring a light which will shine on the St Catherine’s tree. Anyone who sponsors a light will also receive a candle decoration, which can be hung up at home or placed on the special trees at the service. All names sponsored will be entered into a Book of Remembrance which is displayed at the service.
For further information about the services or sponsoring a light, please contact Cat Boulter on 01293 447364 or visit St Catherine’s website at www.stch.org.uk
A Crawley-based company that supplies medical equipment to hospitals and clinics throughout the world has raised over £11,000 in aid of a local charity.
Varian Medical Systems is a worldwide manufacturer of integrated cancer care systems. The company – which employs over 200 people at its Crawley manufacturing, engineering, sales and service centre – chose St Catherine’s Hospice as its charity of the year in September 2008. In the 12 months since then, the staff at Varian have supported the hospice through a variety of activities, including:
• blue bag donations to St Catherine’s charity shops, which raised nearly £1,000
• participation in the Flora London Marathon by Varian employee, Michelle Cook, whose sponsorship totalled over £1,800
• a summer ball which raised over £1,000
• a Christmas raffle which collected over £700
• a bike ride which raised over £500
St Catherine’s provides specialised end of life care and support for local patients and their families, friends and carers in Crawley, Horsham, Mid Sussex and East Surrey.
Matthew Cornish, Corporate Fundraiser at St Catherine’s, said: “We were delighted when Varian chose us as their charity of the year. The ongoing commitment and enthusiasm of their staff has been really impressive, and greatly appreciated by everyone at St Catherine’s. We hope their example may encourage other businesses to support us in this way.”
Rosemary Myles, Charities Team Leader at Varian, said: “When you are asking people within your company to support a charity throughout the year, it is hard to go back to them again and again asking for support for different fundraising initiatives, but at Varian we do, and the great thing is that there always seem to be enough people willing to give their time and money.
“St Catherine’s was nominated as our charity of the year by one of our employees and it has certainly proved to be a popular choice. So many people know of someone who has benefited from the wonderful care provided by the hospice, and I am sure that provided the motivation needed to enable us not only to achieve our fundraising target of £10,000, but to exceed it!”
For further information about the many ways in which businesses can support
St Catherine’s, please call 01293 447365, email matthewcornish@stch.org or visit www.stch.org.uk
On Sunday 18th October, ’09 Crawley Happy Times donned their new t-shirts and set off for K2 Leisure Centre for the St. Catherine’s Hospice 10k.
The CHT teams waiting for the race to start
On the track waiting for the starting gun
Two teams were entered by Crawley Happy Times making eight runners altogether. They joined the rest of the entrants at the start line at 10:30 on a bright and warm Sunday morning. Everyone looked excited and slightly nervous, then the gun went ‘bang’ and we were off.
Around 600 people entered the 2009 10k run
And they are off!
After a lap on the K2 track we then left the stadium and went around Tilgate forest, over the M23 and then back again via a different route leading back to the K2 stadium.
We had a mixture of talent in the two teams entered. We had Daniel Manville who has run half marathons in the past (and did extremely well), Danielle James who is a young fit lady who has some running experience and Jennifer Griffiths who is a fitness instructor. They all did extremely well on CHT’s behalf. Then we had Shelley Fagence-Traynor, Michelle James, Emma James, Amanda Toyne and Jade Downey who were not so experienced although 100% effort was shown.
2009 10k St. Catherine runRunners making their way through the start
The encouragement from the other participants and the race officials standing at check points along the way, was immense. It was this encouragement that kept us all going. Daniel was way ahead with Danielle and Jennifer hot on his heals. Shelley, Michelle, Emma and Amanda decided to stick together on the way round and Jade was not far behind. Shelley was suffering from a bad bout of flu but managed to keep going, even running some of the way
St. Catherine’s Hospice is such a great cause. Requiring around five million pounds to keep up the much needed work they do for terminally ill people. All of which is donated in some form or another. St. Catherine’s give so much back to the community too. They hold many fund raising events which are fun and entertaining for all entrants and the community alike. If you have a fund raising idea, then don’t hesitate to contact any of the amazing staff members on 01293 447333 who will be happy to help you in every way possible.
So, the end of the run was in sight, and the legs were starting to feel like jelly. We entered the K2 track on our last few killometers and were greeted with a loud round of applause from the bystanders who had patiently waited for us stragglers to finish. We were even greeted by the Worshipful the Mayor Brenda Burgess and her wonderful husband Bob Burgess. The last few steps seemed like an eternity but the finish line was in sight and we all made a last deperate dash……and we were done! We were greeted by our families who looked on so proudly as we all gasped for breath and composure. We were given our medals by St. Catherines which we have all placed in plain view of all visitors to our homes
Shelley, Emma, Amanda & Michelle on the last stretch
(L-R) Danielle, Michelle, Shelley, Amanda & Emma
Crawley Happy Times would like to extend their congratulations to every one who entered. As Shelley’s youngest son said, “it’s not about winning Mum, it’s about taking part”. He is so right! If you feel you would like to be part of this next year either as an individual or as a team, please call Catherine Boulter of St. Catherine’s Hospice on 01293 447364 for further information. We are still accepting sponsors, so if you feel the need to contribute, please contact Shelley on 01293 572182 or email shelley@crawleyhappytimes.co.uk
A well deserved drink at the pub after. Well done to all!
All girls together
A special thank you goes to the eight individuals who took part as the Crawley Happy Times team and a thank you to Paul Sheldrake of Creative Vision Promotions for supplying the t-shirts which were wonderful! Roll on next year xx
Finished at last! Shelley and her son Logan who was there at the finishing line to congratulate his Mum
Our thanks to Creative Vision Promotions for the t-shirts
On Thursday 24th September ’09 Crawley Happy Times had the privilege of attending the Crowne Plaza Hotel’s Elite Health & Fitness Club to hear about some amazing people.
Why are they so amazing?
Twenty-six members of the Elite Health Club at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Gatwick, have completed an epic swim covering the distance of the River Thames – 220 miles! This equated to swimming 23,066 lengths of the pool. The members only had 50 days to complete the challenge of swimming 462 lengths each day between them.
Staff & Ladies from Elite Health Club with Michael Beasley STCH
This latest challenge follows other successful challenges and social events including swimming the English Channel and also to run, walk and cycle the length of Route 66. So far these challenges have helped raise nearly £5,000 for St Catherine’s Hospice.
We met up with Michael Beasley, Corporate Fundraiser for St Catherine’s Hospice who said: “We would like to thank the Elite Health Club and its members for their valued support. The challenges and social events are great activities for the members to get involved in and also helps raise valuable money for the hospice. Their support will help us continue to deliver vital end of life care in our community.”
Katie Brindle, Elite Health Club Manager said “I would like to say thank you to all the members that have taken part in our challenges and for their sponsorship. They have made a tremendous effort to get to the club and swim their lengths to complete the challenge on time. Thank you to Stuart who designed the challenge. If it wasnt for his creative mind we would not be able to run events like this! St Catherines is our local charity and all our staff and members are happy to help raise money for such a good cause. I would like to say thank you to St Catherines for their support with our money raising. Raising over £5000 for St Catherines so far is a brilliant well done all”.
We were very impressed with this great achievement, especially as the participants we met and spoke to were ‘mature’ ladies. Well done ladies.
For further information on Elite Health & Fitness visit their website here or call 01293 608614. Maybe you would like to be part of their next challenge
On Sunday 18th October folk from in and around Crawley will be donning their running shoes for a massive 10k race in aid of St Catherine’s Hospice.
Last year more than 600 people took part, raising over £30,000 towards much needed end of life care. Let’s see if we can beat that this year.
The Course
This years Crawley 10k charity race will take place through the beautiful scenic Tilgate Forest which will be fully marshaled with clear frequent signs and water stops. The race starts at the K2 Leisure Centre running track, following forest tracks, paths, playing fields and a road. Experienced and non-runners are all welcome. You could even walk the course if you just wanted to be part of the event. Unfortunately the course is not suitable for pets or wheelchairs due to the uneven ground covered. All entrants receive a medal with an award being presented to the winning team, man and woman.
Who are St Catherine’s?
St Catherine’s are a well deserving charity, caring in so many different ways for our loved ones who are terminally ill. St Catherine’s also give so much back to the community by holding such great events such as the recent Dragon Boat Festival and the Midnight Walk (Horsham). It is definitely a givers gain philosophy which enriches the entire community.
Who can enter?
Catherine from St Catherine’s said “experienced independent runners are frequently present as were on previous occasions as well as running clubs but this year we would like to encourage more businesses to get involved. They only need a team of 4 to enter and can even enter more than one team if they wish. We are really looking forward to this years race and hope to raise a lot of money for the charity which needs around 5 million pounds a year to maintain”.
Runners in last years 10k charity race
How much does it cost?
Advanced entry fees range from £10 to £12 with fees on the day at £15. Places for entry are limited so it is advisable to enter as soon as you can. You can do this by filling in a form online or emailing catherineboulter@stch.org.uk. For any further queries please call 01293 447364.
Crawley Happy Times will be covering the race and interviewing the winners. If you are not entering the race please do still come down and say hello and support the runners.
On Sunday, 6th September 2009, companies from all over the county donned their tribal colours and set off to Tilgate Lakes, Crawley, for the 7th Annual Dragon Boat Race Festival.
Baker Tilly. Capt. Gerrard Weide
Elementus. Capt. Emma Thomas
Organised by, and held on behalf of St. Catherine’s Hospice, the day was full of entertainment, great camaraderie, friends, family and good food.
Teams consisting of thirteen people were challenged to several gruelling boat races in some spectacular (and extremely expensive looking) dragon boats across the length of Tilgate Lake. The teams fought it out until there are 6 teams left who then had a race to the post to ascertain the winners.
Edwards of Crawley. Capt. Miles Firth
Edwards of Burgess Hill. Capt. Richard Fawdrey
Virgin Atlantic. Capt. Paul Rickard
There were some brilliant and innovative outfits this year. A special identity is essential as this helps the spectators recognise who to shout encouragement to! Most had matching colours with their company name or logo visible, some went a little further and painted their bodies green with green outfits or dressed as vikings with hats and horns. Some wore clown hats and another team dressed up as the Flintstones.
Deloitte. Capt. Kat Bradley
Barclays Bank. Capt. David Owen
The teams who entered have been working hard since February this year to raise money for St Catherine’s Hospice which goes towards the total raised on the day. Matthew Cornish, Corporate Fund Raiser for St Catherine’s Hospice, told us he believes a massive £50,000 had been raised this year but the total has yet to be confirmed. The most raised in one year’s Dragon Boat Festival was a staggering £58,000! All of the money raised goes to such a great cause which, eventually, affects everyone.
We were blessed on this Sunday as the weather was as good as it gets. The sun popped out for most of the day and the rain stayed in. Mind you, we could not help but feel for some of the entrants who got quite wet whilst competing, as when the sun disappeared behind the clouds and the evening air started to settle in, drying off was a problem.
Guy Salmon. Capt. Des Campbell
Doosan Babcock Energy. Capt. Jacqui Lucas
Halcrow. Capt. Robert Kleinjan
It was a simple affair really, with food either being made and bought as a picnic or prepared by the very friendly and clean vans from Wynnings & Weaver who have food ranging from pies and pastries, burgers, baguettes and even yummy donuts. Owner Serena Wyatt told us it was lovely to be part of such a great day and was happily donating a percentage of the takings to St Catherine’s Hospice. Alongside the food vans were anotherthree selling toys and other handy items to keep the children happy (kites, frisbees etc.) all manned by volunteers of St Catherine’s Hospice. Thank you: your hard work did not go unnoticed. The whole day was all about the cause, which was really refreshing.
A J Walter Aviation. Capt. Angela Westwood
Enterprise Rent A Car. Capt. Katie Andrews
Capita Symonds. Capt. Jackie Fraser
We had the usual suspects looking after our well being. The local constabulary were keeping a quiet, watchful eye on proceedings. Our thanks go to PCSO Steve West, PCSO Andreanna Woods, PCSO Wendy Johnstone and PCSO Lindsay Haggart. We also thank St John’s Ambulance who looked after anyone with injuries. While we were taking their picture they were nursing a young lad who seemed to have banged his head slightly but we do not think there was anything more serious than that.
Coutts & Co. Capt. Chris Hemblade
Varian Medical Systems. Capt. Steve Pullem
Just Retirement. Capt. Pauline Graham
As a town we should be very proud of our Mayor. The Worshipful the Mayor Brenda Burgess makes sure she is present at any event which includes the community and this event was no exception. Mayor Brenda Burgess and her husband, Three Bridges ward Councillor Bob Burgess, were happily walking round talking to all the teams and their supporters. Not every town has such a dedicated devoted Mayor. It is always a pleasure to see Mayor Brenda Burgess and her husband. Accompanying the Mayor were Rebecca Day, and Rosemary Cowley, who is the Chairman of Trustees for St Catherine’s Hospice.
Richard Place Dobson. Capt. Melissa Morrison-Hardwick
G4S Cash Services. Capt. Nikki Greenfield
G4S Care & Justice. Capt. Stephen Wilson
We were also honoured to have three exceptionally smart gentlemen from Corps Security. Peter Lewis, Branch Manager, Richard Cleaver and Peter Reid wore their uniforms with pride and went on to tell us they are due to have their 50th anniversary shortly, so watch this space for more information.
CGG Veritas. Capt. Keith Driver
Bard. Capts. Kate Palmer & Hannah Mullane
Entertainment was forthcoming in the shape of the Crawley Blackbelt Academy led by Wayne Beadell; and Nam Yang of Epsom, who were led by Maria Wanless. Great displays of artistic control and discipline were demonstrated by both organisations.
The day would not have been possible without all the hard work by Dragon Boat Events. This wonderful company has helped raise over £5 m for charities and have travelled worldwide with their fantastic set up. Dragon Boat Events take a fixed fee for their efforts, leaving the rest of the money to go to the allocated charities. For anyone thinking of having such an event, these guys are definitely the ones to call. They are well organised, polite, friendly and completely professional. They set the whole day off with a great speaker system including requests for songs in between the races, compered by their own Bill Handley who kept us up-to-date with the results of the races. Excellent work from Dragon Boat Events. We’re sure we speak for us everyone when we say thank you.
BAA. Capt. Steve Wirths
Crawley Borough Council. Capt. Gary Povey
Broadfield East Junior School. Capt. Sue Gascoine
So when all had been said and done, it came down to the last race. Six eager looking teams boarded their boats and took to the starting line. The whistle went and the race started. It was neck-a-neck and all rowed like their lives depended on it. It really was the most exciting part of the day and all the people attending were at the edge of the lake, cheering on their preferred team. It seemed forever before we eventually heard the results, with last year’s winners Tilgate Warriors nervously waiting to see if they had been usurped. We will not spoil the outcome for you. Instead we filmed the last race and the award presentations. Maybe you can experience some of the exciting atmosphere we all enjoyed!
Crawley News. Capt. Glenn Ebrey
Cho Wa Ju Jitsu Kwai aka Tilgate Warriors. Capt. David O'Doherty
More Than Dragons. Capt. Jen Edwards
If you were unable to make this year’s event, we suggest putting a date in your diary for next year as not only was it the most spectacular event we have had the pleasure of attending this year but it is completely FREE to attend. You could always go one better and enter a team! If you’d like to enter for next year, please contact Matthew Cornish, Corporate Fund Raiser on 01293 447365 or email matthewcornish@stch.org.uk
Thomas Eggar. Capt. Simon Bomford
Crawley Happy Times Online are keen on being part of this fantastic event next year, so if you feel you would like to be on our team and/or help raise funds throughout the year, then please contact Shelley on 01293 572182 or email shelley@crawleyhappytimes.co.uk
On Friday the 28th of August, Brenda Burgess, the Mayor of Crawley, joined the Gatwick Diamond Rotary Club for its second day of a four day extravaganza of events in and around Crawley. The events were based round the World Wide Wedding Day and this was the third year Gatwick Diamond Rotary Club had got involved. All those involved dressed up in wedding attire which helped to create a great atmosphere. [Ed- I saw one bride and bridesmaid wandering around Crawley market on Saturday and thought how beautiful, if incongruous, they looked!]
Manor Royal was the venue for both of the walks: on Thursday (the 27th) the brides ambled from the VW Dealer South to the Hazelwick Flyover and on Friday the 28th, they swept back the other way, from the VW Dealer North to Pizza Express.
The Mayor mentioned that this was a excellent way to meet the public and she that would be celebrating an anniversary of her own soon. When asked to comment after the event she said “I thoroughly enjoyed myself. It was brilliant! I am due to celebrate my own Ruby Wedding later this year. Thank you. I had a great time.”
On Saturday (29th) Raffle Tickets were on sale outside the Marmaris Restaurant in the High Street.
On Sunday (30th) Gatwick Diamond Rotary Club had a Tombola stand at the Irish Festival in Southgate Playing Fields. During the day Mayor Burgess visited our stand and bought some tickets for the Tombola. To her surprise, she won a thirstquenching can of Guinness. At the end of the day, two draws took place and the winners were as follows:
‘Name the Teddy Bear’: won by Ticket No 4 – Sue of Crawley chose the name of ‘Boris’. Well done Sue!
Elaine, also of Crawley was the lucky winner of a trip for 20 to Hepworth Brewery. Elaine, if you’re reading, don’t forget to update Crawley Happy Times on how your trip went. That’s if you can remember it afterwards!
Over £300 was raised over the four days, which will be split among Brambles Respite Care Centre, St Catherine’s Hospice and Open House (The Mayor’s Charity).
Special thanks go to Becca Barnes who dressed up as the Bride, the Girls from Riva Hair Salon; Jasmine, Amanda and Tia the Bridesmaid (Amanda’s Daughter). We’d also like to thank The Mayor for dressing up as the mother of the Bride.
Clothes for the event were kindly supplied by Dickies Suit Hire. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone else who helped to make this a successful and enjoyable event and we look forward to an even better one next year!
To see more pictures please visit the gallery (bridal pics are half way down the page). For regular updates on what Gatwick Diamond Rotary Club are doing, please follow them on Twitter or visit their website, where they have their blog and forums where people can chat about their good charity work.
~ Geoff Williamson, MultiMedia Chairman, Gatwick Diamond Rotary Club
On Saturday we joined The Connoisseurs at The White Knight in Pound Hill for their charity fundraiser day. The sun shone, the music played, the food was eaten and the charity fund went up and up.
Getting the kids involved
The Beautiful Fuzzilicious Fresh
We had the pleasure of speaking to the guys who put so much effort into making the day a great success and they told us they felt there were not enough opportunities for youngsters to participate in fundraising. In light of this, they put this day together in a way they felt would attract the younger side of the community. They certainly got it right! You can hear more from the guys in the interview at the bottom of the page.
Females get funky
It really was a wonderful day. From 14:00 onwards, each DJ took it in turns to play their selected preference of music, ranging from happy house to heavy drum and bass. First up we had the pleasure of the beautiful Fuzzilicious Fresh. A local female DJ, who told us that, to be any good, you must know your music and what your audience will want to hear. Fuzzilicious Fresh played some brilliant garage tunes for us.
Cherry… fly?
Next up, we were honoured with another female DJ who goes by the name of Cherry Fly. Cherry Fly wore an amazing black & purple outfit and blasted out some great house tunes. She told us she feels that a good education is a great asset to have, even when DJing: Cherry Fly went to college to advance her music knowledge along with her mixing skills and would encourage others to do the same.
The wonderful Cherry Fly
Filling our tums
Meanwhile, the hot dogs and burgers were flying off the grill. Dave Winbolt was the ‘chef’ for the day, assisted intermittently by Scott ‘Ronson’ Clarke. Dave created some delectable food at a reasonable cost, with all proceeds going to the nominated charity of the day, St Catherine’s Hospice.
Dave Winbolt & Scott 'Ronson' Clarke
Baby steps to dance diva?
My burger was cooked to perfection: I thoroughly enjoyed it! Everyone seemed to be having a whale of a time; one particular lad stood on the steps ‘cutting’ some moves to the tunes, especially as he could only have been about eighteen months old!
Cut Swifty mixing it up
Keefos on the decks
Dan Gee bangin' out the beats
Vibrant duo Del Santiago & Pierre Monnoit
Cut Swifty was the next DJ to entertain the ever growing crowd of supporters. Followed by Keefos, Dan Gee, Del Santiago & Pierre Monnoit (Multiplayerz), then last, but not least Marcus Lee, this was a night to remember.
The White Knight: Management
Marcus Lee making his mark
In amongst the revellers, running around keeping everyone happy and the place clean and tidy, were landlord and landlady of the White Knight, Bridgette and John. They have supported this event from the start and were honoured to have it held in the White Knight.
The White Knight public house is a splendid place to hold this type of event due to the space and atmosphere of the building. There are pool tables, darts and large flat screen TVs for the sports enthusiasts and a neat dance floor, with a stage for the DJs which also includes a convenient communal area around the dance floor which is great for private parties. We found the toilets were consistently clean and tidy and the service prompt and friendly. Bridgette and John told us all about their involvement- they told us it was a brilliant way to raise money for such a worthy cause, and they look forward to hosting other similar events in the future. A highly recommended location, in our humble opinion. For more information on the White Knight and its management, please watch the interview below.
So.. how much £££ did they make?
Always service with a smile
The White Knight, Pound Hill, Crawley
As the day drew to an end, the donation buckets started to fill up with donations from those jingling any change in pockets. We are pleased to announce the total amount raised for St Catherine’s Hospice came to a whopping £470! Dan told us that they hope this is the first of many fund raising events; we think they may be on to a winner and hope to be invited to the next one. Well done!
P.S. I believe Dan is already planning part two… watch this space….!
On the 15th August, Dan Gillingham and friends are holding a charity dance night in aid of St Catherine’s Hospice.
Dan ‘Gee’ Gillingham, a local DJ, is using his talents to raise money for the local St Catherine’s Hospice, who care for those who are very ill. Dan said “This is our charity launch event being held at The White Knight. Hopefully this is the first of many more charity events in Crawley over the next few months and years. Myself & Marcus Lee, along with our close friend Ronson (all DJs) wanted to start an event in Crawley for all the people that enjoy hearing us play. So we thought the ideal way would be to combine this with raising money for charity.”
We asked Dan why he’d chosen St Catherine’s Hospice; “We chose St Catherine’s Hospice because it is a charity very close to my heart due to a family member spending time there before they passed away. This is an amazing place with amazing staff and it is dependent on the public raising funds to stay operational. So we got together with some of our DJ friends, who are all local to Crawley, and arranged to throw a wicked day/night event, with some serious music and, of course, to raise as much money as possible! The White Knight Public House and all the DJs (inclusive of all equipment) have all donated their time and services free of charge, so it makes it easier to donate all proceeds to the charity”.
We spoke to Bridget Brant of the White Knight, who said “We completely support this event. St Catherine’s Hospice is very close to our hearts as we also lost a member of our family three years ago and could not have coped without their support and assistance.”
Debbie Plentie, PR & Communications Executive at St Catherine’s Hospice, said: “”We have heard about this event and it’s fantastic that Dan and his friends are using their musical skills to support us in this way. We need to raise £4.7 million through voluntary income each year and we’re really grateful to our community for supporting us through activities like this, because every penny counts.”
Crawley Happy Times Online think this is a wonderful and inventive way to raise money for such a fantastic local charity. We look forward to seeing you at the event, where we will be interviewing the DJs and, of course, those who support the event by attending.
