CHRISTIAN AID WEEK 2012
A big THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to the house-to-house collection here in Ickenham; to those who delivered, collected, counted – and most of all to those who gave so generously.
Over £7,900 was collected in Ickenham during May, with another £800 coming in on top of that through gift aid. And this year, the Government is matching pound for pound the first £5 million collected nationally, which is really exciting. Just think what that can do to get people in poverty, out of poverty!
If you have any comments about the collection, then please contact coordinator Juliette Guthrie. You can reach her on 01895 622970 or at jp.guthrie@virgin.net.
JUBILATION IN THE CHURCHES
As well as the Street Parties going on throughout Ickenham and the nation (see page 1), our churches too joined in the celebrations of Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee.
Deputy Churchwarden Rosemary Hodgson made a colourful kneeler for St Giles’ to commemorate the event, while a special Sunday morning service at the URC saw the church – and some of the congregation – in patriotic style!
And a Jubilee Ploughman’s Lunch – with a suitably decorated cake – was enjoyed by over 30 people, and raised over £100 for Christian Aid.
STEPHEN’S OWN TOUR DE FRANCE
St Giles’ church member Stephen Rutherdale will be undertaking a special sporting challenge this month, when he cycles from London to Paris over two days to raise money for CLICK Rukiga.
The aim is to start from the Ugandan High Commission in Trafalgar Square on the evening of 19th July, cycle to Dover, then sleep on the ferry boat for 90 minutes. From Calais he will pedal 85 miles to Amiens, have a well-deserved rest and wake up on the 21st. Then it’s ‘simply’ another 85 miles to the Eiffel Tower, and the finish at the Paris Ugandan High Commission at 6pm. The hardest part of the 250 mile journey will be getting out of London.
Stephen hopes to raise £2,000 for CLICK Rukiga, the charitable link between Ickenham and Rukiga which has the close support of both our churches and local schools. With money raised from our numerous ventures so far, Rukiga has been provided with much needed facilities such as clean water, school buildings and associated education costs, and business development.
If you’d like to get involved in this latest venture – without having to get pedalling yourself! – why not sponsor Stephen in his attempt? You can either place a donation with one of the churches (marked ‘sponsored bikeride’) or go to his JustGiving page at www.justgiving.com/srutherdale
BUTTERFLIES
The Ickenham Festival brought to our attention the wide range of local groups who give their time and energy to good causes. One such group is ‘Butterflies’, which raises money for local children’s charities, by holding occasional table top sales and coffee mornings in Ickenham Village Hall.
The group was started in 2011 by four local friends who were already regular helpers at a number of similar events held in the village. They realised that there were also a number of smaller, local charities which could do with an opportunity to raise their profile in the community, as well as gain a boost to their funds; and they knew how to provide a pleasant, sociable morning for participants, with a chance to purchase a bargain and meet up with friends for coffee and a chat!
To date, the following have benefitted from Butterflies’ efforts:
vUnique - a charity for children with chromosome disorders vDelta - for deaf children
vOrchyd – providing holidays for disabled youngsters vGrangewood School, Eastcote – for children with special needs vKarers 4 Kidz – for out of school activities for disabled and disadvantaged children vHillingdon Autistic Care and Support – providing services and support for parents and carers of those on the autism spectrum
If you know of a local children’s charity that could benefit from such a Butterflies’ event – or if you would like to join the group as a helper – why not give them a call? You can contact Vera Layton on 01895 635224 or Chris Clarke on 01895 676900.
GOOD LUCK TO OUR OLYMPIANS!
You are sure to be supporting Team GB anyway, but in case you need another reason to be cheering on our athletes this summer, there is always the Ickenham connection!
Ex Vyners pupil Julia Bleasdale (left) has been selected for both the 5,000m and 10,000m events at the Olympics, while Ickenham resident Marc McCarroll (right) will make his Paralympic debut in the Wheelchair Tennis event at Eton Manor. This follows hot on the heels of his first appearance at Wimbledon, in the Wheelchair Doubles with partner Gordon Reid. Good luck to them, and all their team mates; we’ll be behind you all the way!
